T 

172 


9O7 


UC-NRLF 


20 


OCTOBER  16TH 
1891-1906 


INTERNATIONAL 
CORRESPONDENCE  SCHOOLS 

International  Textbook  Company,  Proprietors 
SCRANTON,  PA. 


V 


Copyright,  1907,  by 
INTERNATIONAL  TEXTBOOK  COMPANY 


All  rights  reserved 

UK 


PREFACE 


HEN  the  Fifteenth  Anniversary  Exercises  of  the  Inter- 
national Correspondence  Schools,  described  in  this 
book,  were  first  proposed,  it  was  not  intended  to  invite 
any  one  to  take  part  in  them  but  officers,  employes, 
and  students.  The  suggestion  was  made,  however,  that  this 
would  be  an  opportunity  to  explain  the  methods  of  correspond- 
ence instruction,  as  conducted  by  us,  to  educators,  engineers, 
manufacturers,  members  of  the  press,  and  others  who  might 
be  interested,  and  it  was  decided  to  invite  as  many  of  these  classes 
as  could  conveniently  be  entertained. 

A  large  number  of  those  invited  could  not  attend,  and,  in 
order  that  they  might  have  the  information  about  the  Inter- 
national Correspondence  Schools'  methods  in  textbook  prepara- 
tion, in  teaching  by  mail,  and  in  securing  the  use  of  their  Courses 
of  instruction  by  the  public,  it  has  been  determined  to  publish  the 
proceedings  and  send  a  copy  to  each  of  the  persons  invited  who 
could  not  be  present.  That  is  the  reason  for  this  publication. 


CONTENTS 


Title  Page 1 

Preface 3 

Contents 4-5 

I.  C.  S.  Administration  Buildings 6 

International  Textbook  Company  and  Subordinate  Companies 7 

I.  C.  S.  Instruction  Building  and  Printery 8 

Directors  of  the  International  Textbook  Company 9 

Photographs  of  Directors 1 1-19 

Officers  of  the  International  Textbook  Company 20 

Department  Managers  of  the  International  Textbook  Company 21 

Faculty  Officers,  International  Correspondence  Schools 22-23 

Superintendents  of  the  Soliciting  Organization 24 

Anniversary  Guests 25-36 

Anniversary  Committees 37-39 

Science  Instructing  Industry 40 

Fifteenth  Anniversary  Exercises 41 

Officials  on  Lyceum  Theater  Stage 42 

Program  of  Anniversary  Exercises 43 

Rev.  George  Clarke  Peck,  D.  D 44 

Grand  Prize,  Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition 46 

Chairman  Connell's  Opening  Remarks 47 

Hon.  J.  Benjamin  Dimmick 48 

"Address  of  Welcome" 49-51 

By  Hon.  J.  Benjamin  Dimmick 

Governor  Samuel  W.  Pennypacker 52 

"Education  in  the  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania" 53-54 

Address  by  Hon.  Samuel  W.  Pennypacker,  Governor  of  Pennsylvania. 

"The  International  Correspondence  Schools" 55-72 

Address  by  President  Thomas  J.  Foster 

Hon.  Charles  Emory  Smith 73 

"Educational  Influence  of  the  Press " 74-77 

Address  by  Hon.  Charles  Emory  Smith 

Dean  John  Jesse  Clark,  M.  E 78 

"I.  C.  S.  Textbooks " 79-87 

Address  by  Dean  John  Jesse  Clark,  M.  E. 

William  B.  Ridenour,  A.  M 88 

"I.  C.  S.  Method  of  Teaching" 89-98 

Address  by  William  B.  Ridenour,  A.  M.,  Principal  School  of  Pedagogy 


Reception  and  Exhibit 99-100 

Anniversary  Banquet 101 

Menu 102 

Guests  at  Speakers'  Table 103 

Rev.  Joseph  H.  Odell 104 

Blessing  by  Rev.  Joseph  H.  Odell 105 

Letters  Read  at  Banquet 

Thomas  A.  Edison 106 

Rossiter  W.  Raymond,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D 107-111 

Chairman  Connell's  Remarks 112 

Postprandial  Addresses 113 

Homer  Greene,  Litt.  D 114 

Toastmaster  Greene's  Remarks 115-118 

Gold  Medal,  Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition 119 

Dean  William  Kent,  A.  M.,  M.  E 120 

"Technical  Education" 121-125 

Address  by  Dean  William  Kent,  A.  M.,  M.  E.,  of  Syracuse  University 

Elbert  Hubbard .' 126 

"The  Study  Habit" 127-133 

Address  by  Elbert  Hubbard 

Nathan  C.  Schaeffer,  D.  D.,  LL.  D 134 

"The  Public  Schools" 135-138 

Address  by  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  Nathan  C.  Schaeffer,  D.  D. 
LL.  D. 

John  Mitchell 139 

"Education  :     The  Wage  Earner's  Opportunity" 140-141 

Address  by  John  Mitchell,  President  of  the  United  Mine  Workers  of  America 

Hon.  H.  M.  Edwards 142 

"The  I.  C.  S.  at  Home" 143-144 

Address  by  Hon.  H.  M.  Edwards,  President  Judge  of  Lackawanna  County  Court 

Col.  Charles  W.  Larned,  U.  S.  A 145 

"Constructive  Education" 146-149 

Address  by  Col.  Charles  W.  Larned,  U.  S.  A.,  of  United  States  Military  Academy, 
West  Point 

Rt.  Rev.  Ethelbert  Talbot 150 

"Education  and  Moral  Reform " 151—153 

Address  by  Rt.  Rev.  Ethelbert  Talbot,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  Bishop  of  Central  Pennsylvania 

•'Good  Night" 154-155 

Closing  Address  by  President  Thomas  J.  Foster 


ADMINISTRATION  BUILDING 


00 

INTERNATIONAL  TEXTBOOK 
COMPANY 

Proprietors  of 

INTERNATIONAL 
CORRESPONDENCE  SCHOOLS 

AND 

TECHNICAL 
SUPPLY  COMPANY 


Publishers   of 

MINES  AND  MINERALS 
OCT 


DIRECTORS 

OF  THE 

INTERNATIONAL  TEXTBOOK  COMPANY 


WILLIAM  L.  CONNELL,  Scranton,  Pa. 

RUFUS  J.  FOSTER,  Scranton,  Pa. 

THOMAS  J.  FOSTER,  Scranton,  Pa. 

JACOB  K.  GRIFFITH,  A.  C.,  Latrobe,  Pa. 

CYRUS  D.  JONES,  Scranton,  Pa. 

THOMAS  E.  JONES,  Scranton,  Pa. 

ELMER  H.  LA  WALL,  C.  E.,  E.  M.,  Wilkes-Barre,  Pa. 

FRANK  T.  PATTERSON 

2000  St.  James  Place,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

CLARENCE  D.  SIMPSON,  Scranton,  Pa. 


THOMAS  J.  FOSTER 

PRESIDENT  AND  FOUNDER 

INTERNATIONAL  TEXTBOOK  COMPANY 

SCRANTON.  PA. 


10 


RUFUS  J.  FOSTER 


JACOB  K.  GRIFFITH.  A.C. 


CYRUS  D.  JONES 


THOMAS  E.  JONES 


ELMER  H.  LA  WALL,  C.  E.,  E.  M. 


FRANK  T.  PATTERSON 


CLARENCE  D.  SIMPSON 


OFFICERS 

OF  THE 

INTERNATIONAL  TEXTBOOK  COMPANY 


President 
THOMAS  J.  FOSTER 

V  ice-President 
RUFUS  J.  FOSTER 

Treasurer 
ELMER  H.  LA  WALL,  C.  E.,  E.  M. 

Secretary 
STANLEY  P.  ALLEN 

Controller 
MADISON  F.  LARKIN 

Executive  Committee 
THOMAS  J.  FOSTER,  Chairman 

WILLIAM  L.  CONNELL  THOMAS  E.  JONES 

JACOB  K.  GRIFFITH,  A.  C. 


V ice-President,  Eastern  Department 
J.  H.  REICHERT 

Scranton,  Fa. 

Vice-President,  Central  Department 
W.  P.  MAYER 

7th  Floor  Graphic  Arts  Bldg.,  Chicago,  III. 

Vice-President,  Western  Department 
J.  W.  HENDERSON 

3904  Telegraph  Ave.,  Oakland,  Cal. 

General  Manager,  Railway  Sales  Department 
W.  N.  MITCHELL 

4th  Floor  Railway  Exchange,  Chicago,  III. 


20 


DEPARTMENT   MANAGERS 


Extension 
E.  A.  SEITZ 

Legal 
DAVID  C.  HARRINGTON,  Attorney 

Mail  Sales 
FRANK  W.  WILSON 

Language  Sales 
J.  FOSTER  DAVIS 

Library  Sales 
JOHN  D.  JONES 

Collection 
DAVID  COTTLE 

Correspondence  and  Students'  Records 
H.  S.  ROBINSON,  PH.  B 

Advertising 
J.  H.  FOSTER 

Students'  Aid 
T.  H.  MAGINNISS,  JR. 

Printing 
CHARLES  GAMEWELL 

Illustrating 
C.  J.  HAYES 

Field  Statistics  and  Expenses 
W.  P.  WEICHEL 


Editor  ''Mines  and  Minerals' 
H.  H.  STOEK,  B.  S.,  E.  M. 

Editor  "I.  C.  S.  Messenger" 
G.  H.  FISHER,  B.  A. 

Editor  "Ambition" 
HARRY  L.  TYLER 


Technical  Supply  Company 
W.  P.  CHRISTOPHER,  Manager 


21 


FACULTY  OFFICERS 


Dean 
JOHN  JESSE  CLARK,  M.  E. 

Lehigh  University 

Director  of  Instruction 
JOHN  LOWREY  MARTIN,  C.  E. 

Rensselaer  Polytechnic  Institute 


PRINCIPALS  OF  SCHOOLS 


Advertising 
WILL  ROGERS  PARKER,  S.  B. 

Mass.  Institute  of  Technology 

Architecture 
WILLIAM  SCOTT-COLLINS 

Arts  and  Crafts 
LOUIS  ALLEN  OSBORNE 

Chemistry 

GEORGE  HERMANN  DIMPFEL,  Ph.  D. 
University  of  Leipsic 

Civil  Engineering 
ANTONIO  LLANO,  C.  E. 
Rensselaer  Polytechnic  Institute 

Civil  Service 

WILLIAM  D.  KOCHERSPERGER 
United  States  Naval  Academy 

Commerce 
NELSON  HINDLEY  PROUTY 

Drawing 

LARS  HARALD  KJELLSTEDT,  C.  I. 
Government  Technical  School,  Boras,  Sweden 

Electrical  Engineering 

FRANCIS  H.  DOANE,  A.  M.  B. 

Tufts  College 

Electrotherapeutics 

WILLIAM  F.  BRADY,  M.  D.,  DEAN 

Jefferson  Medical  College 

JOHN  C.  PRICE,  M.  D. 

University  of  Pennsylvania 

Professor  of  Electrotherapeutics  and  Roentgen 

Rays 


English  Branches 

CARRIE  W.  FAUST,  M.  of  E. 

State  Normal  School,  Bloomsburg,  Pa. 

French 
EDOUARD  LAMAZE,  B.  S.,  C.  A.  P- 

University  of  France 

German 
WILLIAM  ANTON  SIEBER,  Ph.  D. 

University  of  Vienna,  Northwestern  University 

Law 
SOLOMON  FOSTER,  ESQ. 

Lettering  and  Sign  Painting 
CHARLES  JAMES  ALLEN 

Locomotive  Running 

JAMES  FRANCIS  COSGROVE 

University  of  Wisconsin 

Mathematics  and  Mechanics 
MOUNT  D.  GRAVATT,  M.  Sc. 
Rutgers  College 

Mechanical  Engineering 

A.  BOWMAN  CLEMENS,  M.  E. 

Cornell  University 

Mines 

Coal  Mining  Division 
JAMES  THOM  BEARD,  C.  E.,  E.  M. 
Columbia  University 

Metal  Mining  Division 

EUGENE  BENJAMIN  WILSON,  C.  E. 

Yale  University 


22 


FACULTY  OFFICERS 


Continued 


Navigation 

ERNEST  K.  RODEN 

Government  College  of  Naval  Science,  Sweden 

Pedagogy 

WILLIAM  B.  RIDENOUR,  A.  M. 
Bucknell  University 

Plumbing,  Heating,  and  Ventilation 

THOMAS  N.  THOMSON 
Heriot-Watt  College,  Edinburgh 

Shop  and  Foundry  Practice 

A.  BOWMAN  CLEMENS,  M.  E. 

Cornell  University 

Spanish 
CARLOS  DIAZ,  Ph.  D. 

University  of  Caracas,  Venezuela     . 


Steam  and  Marine  Engineering 

JOHN  ALEXANDER  GRENING 
Staedtische  Fortbildungs-Anstalt,  Berlin 

Structural  Engineering 

JOHN  M.  MARIS,  B.  S.,  M.  E. 

University  of  Pennsylvania 

Telephone  and  Telegraph 

Engineering 

HENRY  STORRS  WEBB,  M.  S. 
Mass.  Institute  of  Technology 

Textiles 

CHRISTOPHER  PARKINSON  BROOKS 
Society  of  Arts,  London,  England 

Window  Trimming  and  Mercantile 

Decoration 
EDWARD  N.  GOLDSMAN 


ASSISTANT  PRINCIPALS 


Architecture 
GEORGE  W.  MILNES,  Civil  Engineer 

Arts  and  Crafts 

E.  LEONARD  KOLLER 

Pennsylvania    College,    and    Drexel   Institute, 

Philadelphia 

Commerce 
THOMAS  F.  McHALE 
State  Normal  School,  Mansfield,  Pa. 

Drawing 

EMIL  A.  MOODY 

Government  Technical  School,  Boras,  Sweden 

Electrical  Engineering 

SAMUEL  A.  FLETCHER,  S.  B. 

Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology 

English  Branches 
CLARA  BUSHNELL 

French 

ALFRED  COURTIN 
University  of  France 

Locomotive  Running 
W.  R.  JOHNSON 


Mathematics  and  Mechanics 

ANNA  E.  BRECK 
McGill  Normal  School,  Montreal,  Canada 

Mathematics  and  Mechanics 

P.  W.  DURKEE,  B.  A.  and  B.  Sc. 

Acadia  College,  and  McGill  University 

Mechanical  Engineering 

RUFUS  TRACY  STROHM,  M.  E. 

Pennsylvania  State  College 

Plumbing,  Heating,  and 

Ventilation 
LUIN  H.  HALL 

Shop  and  Foundry  Practice 

FRANK  W.  BRADY,  M.  E. 

Purdue  University 

Steam  and  Marine  Engineering 

CHARLES  J.  MASON 
Technological  Institute,  University  of  Halifax 

Textiles 

CHAUNCEY  JACKSON  BRICKETT 
Lowell  Textile  School 


23 


SUPERINTENDENTS 

OF  THE 

SOLICITING   ORGANIZATION 


E.  A.  BOYER 

Milwaukee,  Wis. 

W.  S.  BRODERICK 

Denver,  Colo. 

H.  W.  BUSH 

Camden,  N.  J. 

GEORGE  CARRUTHERS 

Toronto,  Ont.,  Can. 

H.  H.  COFFMAN 

St.  Louis,  Mo.  • 

J.  H.  COOK 

Seattle,  Wash. 

J.  O.  COX 

Cincinnati,  Ohio 

W.  A.  DERHAM 

Oakland,  Col. 

JAMES  S.  DRAKE 

Hartford,  Conn. 

W.  J.  ESPEY 

New  York,  N.  Y. 

C.  P.  HAGENLOCHER 

Philadelphia,  Pa. 

S.  D.  HANLEY 

Dallas,  Tex. 

A.  E.  HIGBEE 

Detroit.  Mich. 

H.  S.  HOOVER 

Chicago,  III. 

W.  R.  HOUSER 

Harrisburg,  Pa. 

GEORGE  KRAMER 

Pittsburg,  Pa. 

C.  E.  LAWRENCE 

Syracuse,  N.  Y. 


W.  H.  LEWIS 

Scranton,  Pa. 

GEO.  P.  G.  MANN 

Montreal,  Que.,  Can. 

M.  T.  MILLER 

St.  Joseph,  Mo. 

W.  H.  NEELY 

Williams  port.  Pa. 

R.  N.  O'HARA 
New  Orleans,  La. 

F.  J   O'MEARA 

Minneapolis,  Minn. 

S.  L.  OWEN 

Newark,  N.  J. 

A.  R.  ROBINSON 

Indianapolis,  Ind. 

R.  G.  SCHROETER 

Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

R.  B.  SEIVER 
Boston,  Mass. 

S.  C.  SHINNICK 

Cleveland,  Ohio 

F.  A.  STILSON 

Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

W.  R.  STONER 

Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

J.  N.  TOMKINS 

Washington,  D.  C. 

A.  F.  TREAKLE 

Peoria,  III. 

S.  O.  VICKERS 

Atlanta,  Ga. 

A.  A.  WILLIAMS 

Cedar  Rapids,  la. 


24 


25 


ANNIVERSARY  GUESTS 


I.C.S.  SUPERVISORS 

J.  B.  BALLENTINE Seattle,  Wash.       N.  G.  LENNINGTON Toledo,  Ohio 

C.  W.  BENNETT Boston,  Mass.        W.  A.  PRATT Portland,  Me. 

H.  W.  DONY Boston,  Mass.        W.  A.  WILSON Providence,  R.  I. 

I.C.S.  DIVISION  SUPERINTENDENTS 

H.  J.  BALDWIN Allentown,  Pa.        H.  R.  HENDERSON San  Francisco,  Cal. 

B.  W.  BURDICK Minneapolis,  Minn.        M.  R.  HOPKINS East  St.  Louis,  111. 

H.  E.  BEEDE Taunton,  Mass.        F.  W.  HEAD Chattanooga,  Tenn. 

J.  W.  BUSH Trenton,  N.  J.        F.  J.  HISTON Waterbury,  Conn. 

WILLIS  CANNAN Akron,  O.        G.  W.  HAMBLY Toronto,  Ont.,  Can. 

J.  C.  COLLARD Binghamton,  N.  Y.        H.  G.  LEMBERT. Philadelphia,  Pa. 

C.  W.  COOK Seattle,  Wash.        R.  L.  LANGFORD Cedar  Rapids,  la. 

FAY  CRABS Chicago,  111.        W.  J.  McCoACH Perth  Amboy,  N.  J. 

B.  B.  COLBORNE Jackson,  Mich.        E.  H.  McCooLE Birmingham,  Ala. 

O.  O.  CRANE Decatur,  111.       WILL  MAYNARD Scranton,  Pa. 

C.  E.  COLLETT Montreal,  Que.,  Can.        H.  L.  MOURER Jamestown,  N.  Y. 

GROVE  CARROLL McKeesport,  Pa.       J.  T.  NILAND Wilkes-Barre,  Pa. 

A.  G.  CASSELBERRY Johnstown,  Pa.        G.  E.  QUINLISK Denver,  Colo. 

C.  A.  DOUD Parsons,  Kans.        E.  STUART Columbus,  O. 

H.  D.  DELMOTTE Harrisburg,  Pa.        C.  A.  STEPHENSON New  York,  N.  Y. 

J.  W.  EASTERLINE Reading,  Pa.        W.  A.  SMITH Norfolk,  Va. 

R.  A.  FERRIS Youngstown,  O.       T.  J.  SULLIVAN Jamaica,  N.  Y. 

F.  M.  FISHBAUGH Lima,  O.        H.  S.  SWAN Allegheny,  Pa. 

Z.  A.  GILTNER Ottumwa,  la.        A.  D.  TIBBALS Springfield,  Mo. 

A.  L  GRAHAM Los  Angeles,  Cal.        R.  W.  WARREN New  Haven,  Conn. 

M.  D.  HANLEY Pittsburg,  Pa.        M.  W.  WHITE San  Antonio,  Tex. 

F.  S.  WALKER Manchester,  N.  H. 


26 


ANNIVERSARY  GUESTS 


Continued 

I.C.S.  REPRESENTATIVES 

J.  B.  BARROWMAN Jamaica,  L.  I.,  N.  Y.  A.  MENKE New  York,  N.  Y. 

C.  B.  BRIGHT Belleville,  Mo.  C.  C.  POSTON Washington,  D.  C. 

J.  H.  BUNTING New  York,  N.  Y.  M.  J.  QUINN Meriden,  Conn. 

C.  F.  COLLISSON St.  Paul,  Minn.  H.  R.  REIST Philadelphia,  Pa. 

C.  A.  CORRY Cincinnati,  Ohio  E.  L.  RINEHART Youngstown,  O. 

R.  E.  CHIPMAN Cambridge,  Mass.  F.  A.  ROWELL So.  Framingham,  Mass. 

J.  A.  CONNELLY San  Francisco   Cal.  G.  W.  ROBBINS Nashua,  N.  H. 

C.  L.  DAYTON Denver,  Colo.  J.  N.  SPARLING Kirksville,  Mo. 

A.  T.  EAGEN Sayre,  Pa.  F.  J.  SCHMIDT Newark,  N.  J. 

C.  N.  ELDER Kimmswick,  Mo.  U.  G.  SWARTZ Des  Moines,  Iowa 

C.  E.  FREELOVE Chicago,  111.  M.  A.  SWEENEY Scranton,  Pa. 

E.  E.  FISHER Jackson,  Mich.  E.  L.  STOUT Lincoln,  Neb. 

I.  C.  FRIEDMAN Pittston,  Pa.  J.  V.  SELMAN Chattanooga,  Tenn. 

F.  C.  FULLER Uniontown,  Pa.  C.  H.  SICKELS Sandusky,  O. 

C.  C.  FULLER Pasadena,  Cal.  J.  J.  SWEENEY Trenton,  N.  J. 

S.  S.  HOOVER Jamestown,  N.  Y.  W.  H.  THOMAS Easton,  Pa. 

J.  E.  HANLEY Freeport,  L.  I.,  N.  Y.  F.  H.  TIGUE Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

F.  X.  HOLL Seattle,  Wash.  B.  H.  TIPTON Peoria,  111. 

J.  M.  IZETT Los  Angeles,  Cal.  J.  P.  TORREY Decatur,  111. 

H.  H.  JAMES Scranton,  Pa.  J.  T.  WHITAKER Harrisburg,  Pa. 

D.  N.  MCTAVISH Calgary,  Alta.,  Can.  A.  O.  WIDENOR Carbondale,  Pa. 

K.  E.  MCGREGOR St.  John,  N.  B.  W.  J.  WILKINSON Pottsville,  Pa. 

J.  C.  MATTISON Altoona,  Pa.  T.  B.  WEATHERMAN Duluth,  Minn. 

E.  W.  MYERS Little  Rock,  Ark.  R.  B.  WATKINS Fall  River,  Mass. 

G.  W.  MORGAN Sault  Ste.  Marie,  Ont.  W.  H.  WAREHAM Johnstown,  Pa. 

J.  C.  YATES San  Antonio,  Tex. 


I.C.S.  RAILWAY  DEPARTMENT 


A.  C.  BECKWITH,  Manager 
R.  E.  BARRY,  Chief  Clerk 
H.  E.  CHRISTMAN,  Secretary  to  General 

Manager 

W.  F.  DILLON,  Superintendent 
W.  J.  HILL,  Superintendent 
C.  W.  HUBBARD,  Superintendent 
FRED  KOHLENBERG,  Superintendent 
FRANK  MCMANAMY,  Manager 
R.  S.  MITCHELL,  Manager 


GEORGE  B.  MOIR,  Assistant  Cashier 

J.  P.  MACGOWAN,  Car  Superintendent 

O.  W.  OWENS,  Superintendent 

H.  T.  POTTINGER,  Superintendent 

GEORGE  REID,  Assistant  Manager 

E.  M.  SAWYER,  Assistant  General  Manager 

W.  S.  SMALL,  Assistant  Manager 

J.  P.  STEELE,  Superintendent 

C.  E.  TYSON,  Instructor 

W.  B.  WILSON,  Superintendent 


27 


ANNIVERSARY  GUESTS 

Continued 

EDUCATORS 

ALFRED  A.  ARNOLD. — Principal  School  of  the  Lackawanna,  Scranton,  Pa. 

H.  S.  BITTING.— Superintendent  Williamson  Free  School  of  Mechanic  Trades,  Williamson 

Trade  School  Post  Office,  Pa. 
DR.  J.  A.  CHANDLERS,  Ph.  D. — Director  Educational  Department,  Jamestown  Exposition 

Co.,  Norfolk,  Va. 
HOWARD  EDWARDS. — President  Rhode  Island  College  of  Agriculture  and  Mechanic  Arts, 

Kingston,  R.  I. 
EDMUND   A.   ENGLER,   LL.    D. — President  Worcester  Polytechnic   Institute,   Worcester, 

Mass. 

GEORGE  E.  FELLOWS,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. — President  University  of  Maine,  Orono,  Me. 
CLEMENT  C.  GAINES,  A.  M.,  LL.  B. — President  Eastman  College,  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y. 
RONALD  P.  GLEASON.— Principal  Scranton  Technical  High  School,  Scranton,  Pa. 
W.  F.  M.  GOSS,  M.S.,  D.E. — Dean  of  Schools  of  Engineering,  Purdue  University,  Lafayette, 

Ind. 

PROF.  D.  S.  HARTLINE  — Bloomsburg  Normal  School,  Bloomsburg,  Pa. 
CHARLES  F.  HOBAN. — Superintendent  of  Schools,  Dunmore,  Pa. 

CHARLES  S.  HOWE,  Ph.  D. — President  Case  School  of  Applied  Science,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 
PROF.  JAMES  LEWIS  HOWE,  Ph.  D. — Professor  of   Chemistry,  Washington  and  Lee  Uni- 
versity, Lexington,  Va. 
PROF.  WILLIAM  KENT,  A.  M.,  M.  E. — Dean  College  of  Applied  Science,  Syracuse  University, 

Syracuse,  N.  Y. 
PROF.  DEXTER  S.  KIMBALL. — Professor  of  Machine  Design,  Cornell  University,  Ithaca, 

N.  Y. 

DR.  T.  H.  LANDON,  Ph.  D. — Principal  Bordentown  Military  Institute,  Bordentown,  N.  J. 
PROF.  W.  H.  LIGHTY. — Director  of  Correspondence  Work,  University  of  Wisconsin,  Madi 

son,  Wis. 
PROF.  ANSON   MARSTON,  C.   E. — Treasurer  Society  for  the   Promotion  of  Engineering 

Education,  Iowa  State  College,  Ames,  Iowa. 
PROF.    HENRY    FOSTER    MALLORY.— Superintendent    of    Correspondence    Instruction, 

University  of  Chicago,  Chicago,  111. 

L.  B.  MOFFETT.— President  Pierce  School,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
PROF.  HENRY  H.  NORRIS,  M.  E.— Professor  of  Electrical  Engineering,  Cornell  University, 

Ithaca,  N.  Y. 

GEORGE  W.  PHILLIPS. — Superintendent  Scranton  Public  Schools,  Scranton,  Pa. 
PROF.   N.   T.   QUEVEDO. — Professor  of  Spanish,  United  States  Military  Academy,   West 

Point,  N.  Y. 

PROF.  FRANK  A.  RAY. — Dean  College  of  Engineering,  Ohio  State  University,  Columbus,  Ohio. 
JOHN  M.  SHRIGLEY. — President  Williamson  Free  School  of  Mechanic  Trades,  Lansdowne,  Pa. 
JASPER  C.  TAYLOR. — Superintendent  Schools  of  Lackawanna  County,  Scranton,  Pa. 
PROF.  HENRY  DALLAS  THOMPSON,  Ph.  D.,  D.  Sc.— Professor  of  Mathematics,  Princeton 

University,  Princeton,  N.  J. 
THOMAS   THORBORN.— General   Secretary  Anthracite   Region   Committee   Y.    M.   C.   A., 

Wilkes-Barre,  Pa. 

PROF.  G.  C.  WATSON. — Professor  of  Agriculture,  Pennsylvania  State  College,  State  Col- 
lege, Pa. 

ALBERT  H.  WELLS. — Principal  Scranton  High  School,  Scranton,  Pa. 

PROF.  ARTHUR  L.  WILLISTON.— Professor  of  Engineering,  Pratt  Institute,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
PROF.  J.  J.  WILMORE. — Professor  of  Mechanical  Engineering,  Alabama  Polytechnic  Institute, 

Auburn,  Ala. 
PROF.  ALEXANDER  J.  WURTZ.— Carnegie  Technical  Schools,  Pittsburg,  Pa. 

28 


ANNIVERSARY  GUESTS 

Continued 

NATIONAL,  STATE,  AND  MUNICIPAL  OFFICIALS 

HON.  SAMUEL  W.  PENNYP ACKER.— Governor  of  Pennsylvania,  Harrisburg,  Pa. 

HON.   THOMAS   H.    DALE.— Member  of  Congress  from  the    10th   Pennsylvania   District, 

Scranton,  Pa. 
NATHAN  C.  SCHAEFFER.  D.  D.,  LL.  D.— State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  for 

Pennsylvania,  Harrisburg,  Pa. 

HON.  J.  BENJ.  DIMMICK.— Mayor  of  Scranton,  Scranton,  Pa 
COL.  F.  L.  HITCHCOCK.— City  Treasurer,  Scranton,  Pa. 
COL.  EZRA  H.  RIPPLE.— Postmaster,  Scranton,  Pa. 

U.  S.  ARMY  AND  NAVY 

COL.  HUGH  L.  SCOTT,  U.  S.  A.— Superintendent  United  States    Military  Academy,  West 

Point,  N.  Y. 
COL.  CHARLES  W.  LARNED,  U.  S.  A.— Professor  of  Technical  and  Military  Graphics  and 

Applied  Geometry,  United  States  Military  Academy,  West  Point,  N.  Y. 
LIEUT.-COMMANDER  H.  B.  WILSON.— Navy  Department,  Washington,  D.  C. 

NATIONAL  GUARD  OF  PENNSYLVANIA 

GENERAL  C.  BOW  DOUGHERTY.— Wilkes-Barre,  Pa. 

COL.  FREDERICK  W.  STILLWELL.— 13th  Regiment,  N.  G.  P.,  Scranton,  Pa. 

MAJOR  W.  A.  RAUB.— 13th  Regiment,  N.  G.  P.,  Scranton,  Pa. 

MAJOR  FRANK  ROBLING.— 13th  Regiment,  N.  G.  P.,  Scranton,  Pa. 

PUBLISHERS,  EDITORS,  AND  NEWSPAPER  REPRESENTATIVES 

HON.  CHARLES  EMORY  SMITH.— Ex-Postmaster  General,  Editor  Press,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

S.  W.  ANNESS. — The  Engineer  and  Marine  Engineering,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

CHARLES  WHITING  BAKER.— Managing  Editor  Engineering  News,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

HON.  JOHN  E.  BARRETT. — Editor  Scranton  Truth,  Scranton,  Pa. 

RICHARD  J.  BEAMISH.— North  American,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

E.  C.  CONLIN.— Argosy  and  All-Story  Magazines,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

E.  H.  DEITZER.— Courier,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

DONALD  EVANS.— Inquirer,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

HON.  JOHN  R.  FARR.— Editor  Courier-Progress,  Scranton,  Pa. 

J.  J.  FRENCH.— Herald,  Boston,  Mass. 

PAUL  M.  FURM AN. —Public  Ledger,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

J.  J.  GEISINGER—  N.  W.  Ayer  &  Son,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

ELBERT  HUBBARD.— Editor  Philistine,  East  Aurora,  N.  Y. 

W.  D.  LANGERFELDT.— Scrantonian,  Scranton,  Pa. 

FRED.  W.  LIDSTONE. — Republican,  Scranton,  Pa. 

A.    MAURICE   LOW. — Washington    Correspondent    London    Times    and    Boston    Globe, 

Washington,  D.  C. 
FRED  R.  LOW.— Editor  Power,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

E.  J.  LYNETT. — Editor  and  Publisher  Times,  Scranton,  Pa. 

S.  S.  McCLURE.— Publisher  McClure's  Magazine,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

F.  J.  MILLER. — Editor  The  American  Machinist,  New  York,  N.  Y. 
GUY  W.  MOORE.— Business  Manager  Record,  Wilkes-Barre,  Pa. 
EDWARD  C.  PHILLIPS.— American  Magazine,  New  York,  N.  Y. 
W.  C.  RUCH.— Evening  Telegram,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 


29 


ANNIVERSARY  GUESTS 

Continued 

PUBLISHERS,  EDITORS,  AND  NEWSPAPER  REPRESENTATIVES 

M.  E.  SAUNDERS.— Times,  Scranton,  Pa. 

H.  F.  SHERWOOD. — Tribune,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

H.  H.  STOEK.— Editor  Mines  and  Minerals,  Scranton,  Pa. 

H.  H.  SUPLEE. — Technical  Editor  Engineering  Magazine,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

TRACY  E.  SWEET.— Managing  Editor  Tribune,  Scranton,  Pa. 

F.  A.  WOOD.— Times,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

J.  A.  WOOD.— N.  W.  Ayer  &  Son,  Philadelohia,  Pa. 

ENGINEERS 

W.  S.  AYRES. — Mining  Expert,  Hazleton,  Pa. 

A.  B.  DUNNING,  C.  E. — Manager  Dunning  Engineering  Co.,  Scranton,  Pa. 

WILLIAM  GRIFFITH.— Geologist,  Scranton,  Pa. 

GEORGE  A.  HAMILTON. — Treasurer  American  Institute  of  Electrical  Engineers,  New 
York,  N.  Y. 

ANTON  HARDT.— Mining  Engineer,  Wellsboro,  Pa. 

WILLIAM  M.  MARPLE.— Chief  Engineer  Scranton  Gas  and  Water  Co.,  Scranton,  Pa. 

THOMAS  H.  MILNES.— Civil  Engineer,  Scranton,  Pa. 

RALPH  W.  POPE. — Secretary  American  Institute  of  Electrical  Engineers,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

REDFORD  A.  SARGENT. — Inspector  of  Hulls,  U.  S.  Steamboat  Inspection  Service,  Phila- 
delphia, Pa. 

A.  H.  SHERRARD. — Mining  Engineer,  Scranton,  Pa. 

A.  H.  STORRS. — Consulting  Engineer',  Scranton,  Pa. 

A.  P.  TRAUTWEIN.— Carbondale,  Pa. 

JOHN  C.  TRAUTWINE,  JR.— Philadelphia,  Pa. 

FRANK  G.  WOLFE. — Chief  Engineer  Scranton  Coal  Co.,  Scranton,  Pa. 


MANUFACTURERS,  ETC. 

JAMES  B.  DAVIES. — Superintendent  Plymouth  Coal  Co.,  Plymouth,  Pa. 
CHESTER  A.  DELANEY.— Superintendent  American  Locomotive  Co.,  Scranton,  Pa. 
ALEXANDER  W.  DICKSON.— President  Dickson  Mill  &  Grain  Co.,  Scranton,  Pa. 
NELSON   C.    DURAND. — Manager   Commercial    Department,    National    Phonograph    Co., 

Orange,  N.  J. 

HARRY  I.  EVANS.— Superintendent  D.,  L.  &  W.  Coal  Mines,  Wilkes-Barre,  Pa. 
CHARLES  C.  GROAT.— Manager  and  Treasurer,  Groat  Knitting  Co.,  Scranton,  Pa. 
CLARENCE  H.  HOWELL. — President  Columbus  Iron  &  Steel  Co.,  Columbus,  Ohio. 
JOHN  M.  KEMMERER.— President  Kemmerer  Iron  &  Steel  Co.,  Scranton,  Pa. 
JAMES  A.  LANSING. — President  Scranton  Stove  Works,  Scranton,  Pa. 
A.  F.  LAW. — Vice-President  and  Treasurer,  Temple  Iron  Co.,  Scranton,  Pa. 
WILLIAM  McCLAVE. — President  McClave-Brooks  Co.,  Scranton,  Pa. 
W.  G.  ROBERTSON.— General  Superintendent  Austin  Coal  Co.;  Scranton,  Pa. 
CHARLES  C.  ROSE. — Superintendent  Coal  Department,  Delaware  &  Hudson  Co.,  Scranton, 

Pa. 

PETER  STIPP. — General  Contractor  and  Builder,  Scranton,  Pa. 
J.  N.  THOMAS. — President  and  Manager  Exeter  Machine  Co.,  Pittston,  Pa. 
E.  J.  TOUHILL. — General  Manager  Touhill  Iron  Works,  Scranton,  Pa. 


30 


ANNIVERSARY  GUESTS 

Continued 

RAILROAD  OFFICIALS 

T.    E.    CLARKE. — -General    Superintendent    Delaware,    Lackawanna   &    Western    Railroad, 
Scranton,  Pa. 

CHARLES  F.  CONN. — Vice-President  Lackawanna  &  Wyoming  Valley  Railroad,  Scranton,  Pa. 

R.  F.  KILPATRICK. — Superintendent  of  Motive  Power,  Delaware,  Lackawanna  &  Western 
Railroad,  Scranton,  Pa. 

LABOR  UNION  REPRESENTATIVES 

JOHN  MITCHELL. — President  United  Mine  Workers  of  America,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 

JOHN  T.  DEMPSEY. — Secretary  Anthracite  District  No.  1,  United  Mine  Workers  of  America, 
Scranton,  Pa. 

JOHN  FAHEY. — President  District  No.  9,  United  Mine  Workers  of  America,  Shamokin,  Pa. 
HUGH  FRAYNE. — U.  S.  Organizer  American  Federation  of  Labor,  Scranton,  Pa. 
S.  J.  McDONALD. — President  Central  Labor  Union,  Scranton,  Pa. 

HON.  T.  D.  NICHOLS.— Congressman -elect,  President  Anthracite  District  No.  1,  United  Mine 
Workers  of  America,  Scranton,  Pa. 

E.  C.  PATTERSON.— Secretary  Central  Labor  Union,  Scranton,  Pa. 
P.  J.  SHEA. — National  Organizer  Street  Railway  Union,  Scranton,  Pa. 


BANKERS 


CITIZENS  BANK,  Olyphant,  Pa. 
EDWARD  S.  JONES,  President 

COLONIAL  TRUST  CO.,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
H.  J.  ELKINS,  Cashier 

COUNTY  SAVINGS  BANK.  Scranton,  Pa. 
A.  H.  CHRISTY,  Cashier 

DIME  DEPOSIT  AND  DISCOUNT  BANK 

Scranton,  Pa. 
REESE  G.  BROOKS,  President 

FIDELITY    DEPOSIT    AND    DISCOUNT 

BANK,  Dunmore,  Pa. 
P.  J.  HORAN,  President 
JOHN  F.  WALTER,  Cashier 

FIRST  NATIONAL  BANK,  Scranton,  Pa. 
ISAAC  POST,  Cashier 

GERMAN    NATIONAL    BANK,    Newport, 

Ky. 
A.  M.  LARKIN,  Cashier 

MERCHANTS  AND  MECHANICS  BANK, 

Scranton,  Pa. 
A.  J.  CASEY,  President 
CHARLES  W.  GUNSTER,  Cashier 

PEOPLES    NATIONAL    BANK,    Scranton, 

Pa. 

CYRUS  D.  JONES,  President 
GEORGE  T.  DUNHAM,  Cashier 


SCRANTON    SAVINGS    BANK,    Scranton, 

Pa. 
H.  C.  SHAFER,  Cashier 

SCRANTON  TRUST  COMPANY,  Scranton, 

Pa. 

JUDGE  HENRY  A.  KNAPP,  Vice-President 
D.  B.  ATHERTON,  Secretary  and  Treasurer 

SOUTH  SIDE  BANK,  Scranton,  Pa. 
FRANK  HUMMLER,  President 

THIRD  NATIONAL  BANK,  Scranton,  Pa. 
HENRY  BELIN,  JR.,  Vice-President 

TITLE  GUARANTEE  AND  TRUST  COM- 
PANY, Scranton,  Pa. 
L.  A.  WATRES,  President 
WILLIAM  A.  WILCOX,  Trust  Officer 

TRADERS   NATIONAL  BANK,   Scranton, 

Pa. 

JOHN  T.  PORTER,  President 
F.  W.  WOLLERTON,  Cashier 

WEST  SIDE  BANK,  Scranton,  Pa. 
WILLIAM  T.  DAVIS,  President 
A.  B.  EYNON,  Cashier 

WYOMING  VALLEY  TRUST  CO.,  Wilkes- 

Barre,  Pa. 
J.  N.  THOMPSON,  Treasurer 


31 


ANNIVERSARY  GUESTS 

Continued 

JUDGES 

HON.  ROBERT  W.  ARCHBALD.— Judge  United  States  District  Court,  Scranton,  Pa. 
HON.  H.  M.  EDWARDS.— President  Judge  of  Lackawanna  County  Courts,  Scranton,  Pa. 
JUDGE  ALFRED  HAND,  A.  M.— Ex-Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Pennsylvania,  Scran- 
ton, Pa. 

LAWYERS 

WILLIAM  H.  CURRY,  Scranton,  Pa.  W.  L.  RAEDER,  Wilkes-Barre,  Pa. 

SAMUEL  W.  EDGAR,  Scranton,  Pa.  HARRY  C.  REYNOLDS,  Scranton,  Pa. 

S.  M.  ENTERLINE,  Ashland,  Pa.  ALONZO  F.  SEARLE,  Assistant  U.  S.  Dis- 
EDWIN  H.  GEARHART,  Scranton,  Pa.  trict  Attorney,  Honesdale,  Pa. 

WESLEY  H.  GEARHART,  Scranton,  Pa.  JAMES  H.  TORREY,  Scranton,  Pa. 

HOMER  GREENE,  Litt.  D.,  Honesdale,  Pa.  MAJ.  EVERETT  WARREN,  Scranton,  Pa. 

ROSWELL  H.  PATTERSON,  Scranton,  Pa.  W.  W.  WATSON,  Scranton,  Pa. 

MAJ.  T.  F.  PENMAN,  Scranton,  Pa.  CHARLES  H.   WELLES,  Scranton,  Pa. 


CLERGY 

RT.  REV.  MICHAEL  J.  HOBAN. — Bishop  (Roman  Catholic)  of  Scranton,  Scranton,  Pa. 
RT.  REV.  ETHELBERT  TALBOT,  D.  D.,  L.L.  D.— Bishop  (Protestant  Episcopal)  of  Central 

Pennsylvania,  South  Bethlehem,  Pa. 
REV.  T.  J.  COMERFORD.— Archbald,  Pa. 

REV.  ROGERS  ISRAEL,  D.  D. — Pastor  of  St.  Luke's  Church,  Scranton,  Pa. 
REV.  ISAAC  J.  LANSING.— Pastor  Green  Ridge  Presbyterian  Church,  Scranton,  Pa. 
REV.  DR.  J.  W.  MALONE.— Rector  St.  Peter's  Cathedral,  Scranton,  Pa. 
REV.  JOSEPH  H.  ODELL.— Pastor  Second  Presbyterian  Church,  Scranton,  Pa. 
REV.  GEO.  C.  PECK,  D.  D. — Pastor  Elm  Park  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Scranton,  Pa. 
REV.  WILLIAM  CARSON  SHAW— Rector  Trinity  Church,  Carbondale,  Pa. 


PHYSICIANS 

DR.  J.  C.  BIDDLE,  M   D. — Surgeon  in  Chief  and  Superintendent  State  Hospital,  Fountain 

Springs,  Pa. 

DR.  WILLIAM  F.  BRADY,  M.  D.,  Scranton,  Pa. 

DR.  HERBERT  B.  BRAND,  M.  D.— Long  Island  State  Hospital,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
DR.  H.  B.  CASSELBERRY,  M.  D.— Hazleton,  Pa. 
DR.  A.  J.  CONNELL.  M.  D,,  Scranton,  Pa. 
DR.  W.  G.  FULTON,  M.  D.,  Scranton.  Pa. 
DR.  M.  HELLINGS,  M.  D.— Philadelphia,  Pa. 
DR.  W.  E.  KELLER,  M.  D.,  Scranton,  Pa. 
DR.  G.  D.  MURRAY,  M.  D.,  Scranton,  Pa. 
DR.  JOHN  C.  PRICE,  M.  D.    Scranton,  Pa. 
DR.  S.  T.  RISLEY,  M.  D.— Philadelphia,  Pa. 
DR.  THEODORE  SURETH,  M.  D..  Scranton,  Pa. 
DR.  HORACE  B.  WARE,  M.  D.,  Scranton,  Pa. 


32 


ANNIVERSARY  GUESTS 


Continued 


BUSINESS  MEN,  STUDENTS,  ETC. 


MOSES  ANDREWS,  Scranton,  Pa. 

WESLEY  J.  ANDREWS,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

W.  J.  APPLEMAN,  Throop,  Pa. 

L.  D.  ATWATER,  Waverly,  N.  Y. 

HAYDEN  C.  AUSTIN,  Reading,  Pa. 

J.  H.  BALDWIN,  Denver,  Colo. 

P.  A.  BARRETT,  Scranton,  Pa. 

P.  V.  BARRETT,  Scranton,  Pa. 

G.  F.  BECKER,  Scranton,  Pa. 

H.  BEERS,  Scranton,  Pa. 

CHARLES  D.  BELLES,  Old  Forge,  Pa. 

W.  K.  BENDER,  Denver,  Colo. 

LOUIS  BERGH,  New  Rochelle,  N.  Y. 

A.  M.  BINGHAM,  Dunmore,  Pa. 

W.  L.  BIRD,  Williamsport,  Pa. 

JOSEPH  BITTERWOLF,  Glen  Island,  N.  Y. 

C.  J.  BLAKE,  Cincinnati,  Ohio 

W.  G.  BLISS,  Scranton,  Pa. 

WILLIAM  P.  BOLAND,  Scranton,  Pa. 

R.  W.  BONNEY,  Norfolk,  Va. 

H.  S.  BOOTH,  Yonkers,  N.  Y. 

H.  C.  BOYER,  Scranton,  Pa. 

HENRY  I.  BRAUN,  Red  Bank,  N.  J. 

JOHN  H.  BROOKS,  Scranton,  Pa. 

J.  HARRY  BRYDEN,  W.  Pittston,  Pa. 

EDWARD  L.  BUCK,  Scranton,  Pa. 

O.  J.  BUCKLY,  Zion  City,  111. 

THEO.  BURGESS,  Scranton,  Pa. 

C.  H.  BURROUGHS,  Carthage,  N.  Y. 
S.  A.  CAHOON,  Scranton,  Pa. 

D.  J.  CAMPBELL,  Scranton,  Pa. 

J.  W.  CARNWATH,  Ottawa,  Ont.,  Can. 
D.  E.  CARPENTER,  Scranton,  Pa. 

HENRY    J.    CARR,    Librarian,    Scranton, 
Pa. 

G.  T.  CARRIER,  Summerville,  Pa. 
F.  L.  CASE,  Wauseon,  Ohio 
P.  J.  CASEY,  Scranton,  Pa. 
F.  M.  CATHEY,  Atlanta,  Ga. 


CHARLES  H.  CHANDLER,  Scranton,  Pa. 
E.  L.  CHAMBERS,  Scranton,  Pa. 
A.  P.  CHAVENT,  W.  Hoboken,  N.  J. 
A.  P.  CHILDS,  Alden  Station,  Pa. 
W.  N.  CIPPERLY,  Rockford,  111. 

E.  W.  CLARK,  Scranton,  Pa. 
GEORGE  R.  CLARK,  Scranton,  Pa. 
WILLIAM  CLARK,  Jackson,  Mich. 
FRANK  H.  COFFIN,  Scranton,  Pa. 

HON.  ALEX  T.  CONNELL,  Scranton,  Pa. 
HARRY  A.  CONNELL,  Scranton,  Pa. 
J.  L.  CONNELL,  Scranton,  Pa. 
DAN  J.  CONNERS,  Scranton,  Pa. 
IRA  COSNER,  Scranton,  Pa. 

THOS.  J.  CROSS,  212  N.  7th  St.    Philadel- 
phia, Pa. 

R.  C.  CROWELL,  Cabinet,  Idaho 
D.  F.  CROWLEY,  Scranton,  Pa. 

C.  A.  CUBBERLY,  Scranton,  Pa. 

S.  H.  CUNNINGHAM,  Boston,  Mass. 
ROY  C.  DARLING.  Hartford,  Conn. 

D.  W.  DA  VIES,  Scranton,  Pa. 
W.  B.  DAVIS,  Scranton,  Pa. 
WILLIAM  J.  DAVIS,  Scranton,  Pa. 

F.  DEAN,  Montreal,  Que.,  Can. 
A.  W.  DIPPY,  Scranton,  Pa. 
WILLIAM  DOWNS,  Troy,  N.  Y. 
A.  J.  DUFFY,  Scranton,  Pa. 

H.  W.  DUSINBERRE,  Scranton,  Pa. 

EDWARD  EBERLY,  R.  F.  D.  16,    McClel- 
landtown,  Pa. 

GEORGE  ECKMAN,  Marshalltown,  Iowa 
WESLEY  ECOFF,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
MARK  EDGAR,  Scranton,  Pa. 
JOHN  T.  FARADAY,  Old  Forge,  Pa. 
LEAVY  S.  FILBERT,  Womelsdorf,  Pa. 
EDWARD  FINNERAN,  Columbus,  Ohio 
F.  J.  FLYNN,  Wilkes-Barre    Pa. 
F.  B.  FOOTE,  Scranton.  Pa. 


33 


ANNIVERSARY  GUESTS 


Continued 


BUSINESS  MEN, 

HARRY  R.  FOSTER,  Pottsville.  Pa. 
JOHN  H.  FOY,  Pittston,  Pa. 
J.  A.  FRANTZ,  Scranton,  Pa. 
ARTHUR  C.  FULLER,  Scranton,  Pa. 
G.  C.  GAMEWELL,  Scranton,  Pa. 
CHARLES  H.  GARDNER,  Wilkes-Barre,  Pa. 
S.  L.  GEORGE,  Scranton,  Pa. 
GEORGE  E.  GIBRAULT,  Chicago,  111. 
H   F.  GILBRIDE,  Maiden,  Mass. 
A.  GOLDSMITH,  Scranton,  Pa. 
SOLOMON  GOLDSMITH,  Scranton,  Pa. 
H.  R.  GRAHAM,  Scranton,  Pa. 
C.  A.  GRAVES,  Scranton,  Pa. 

F.  L.  GRIMES,  Hornell,  N.  Y. 
J.  L.  GWAN,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

S.  ROLAND  HALL,  Scranton,  Pa. 
THOS.  H.  HALTON,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
GEORGE  H.  HARDING,  Flushing,  N.  Y. 
E.  H.  HARRIS,  Scranton,  Pa. 
OLIN  F.  HARVEY,  Wilkes-Barre,  Pa. 
A.  W.  HASLAM,  Wilkes-Barre,  Pa. 
WILLIAM  M.  HASTINGS,  New  York,  N.  Y. 
EUGENE  HEALEY,  Scranton,  Pa. 
JOHN  H.  HEBEL,  Milnesville,  Pa. 
JOS.  J.  HENDERSON,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
J.  HEPPLEWHITE,  Scranton,  Pa. 
WILLIAM  F.  C.  HEYL,  Scranton,  Pa. 

G.  F.  HODGDON,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
A.  F.  HODGES,  Scranton,  Pa. 

J.  A.  HODGES   Scranton,  Pa. 

EDWARD  HOLLERING,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

T  W.  HOLLOW  AY   Scranton,  Pa. 

J.  W.  HOWARTH,  Scranton,  Pa. 

AUGUST  HOWER,  Scranton,  Pa. 

J.  T.  HOYLE,  Scranton,  Pa. 

RUPERT  S.  HUGHES,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

A.  E.  HUNT,  Scranton,  Pa. 

W.  P.  HUNTER,  Scranton,  Pa 

J.  J.  HURLEY   Scranton   Pa. 


STUDENTS,  ETC. 

LOUIS  H.  ISAACS,  Scranton,  Pa. 

R.  M.  JAMES,  Scranton,  Pa. 

H.  S.  JEFFREYS,  Scranton,  Pa. 

SAM.  JEFFREYS,  Scranton,  Pa. 

W.  H.  JENKINS,  Scranton,  Pa. 

JOSEPH  J.  JERMYN,  Scranton,  Pa. 

JOHN  E.  JOHNS,  Scranton,  Pa. 

ROBERT  G.  JOHNS,  Wilkes-Barre,  Pa. 

WALTER  P.  JOHNS,  Wilkes-Barre,  Pa. 

ALBERT  JOHNSON,  Waverly,  Pa. 

V.  W.  JOHNSON,  Portland,  Me. 

W.  R.  JOHNSON,  Scranton,  Pa. 

T.  D.  JONES,  Hazelton,  Pa. 

T.  M.  JONES,  Scranton,  Pa. 

GEORGE  S.  KATZ,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

F.  M.  KEANE,  Scranton,  Pa. 

C.  B.  KELLER,  Stroudsburg,  Pa. 

S.  W.  KERR,  Reading,  Pa. 

JOHN  KILCULLEN,  Scranton,  Pa. 

L.  G.  KIDDLE,  Youngstown,  Ohio 

F.  R.  KILLIAN,  Sunbury,  Pa. 

JOSEPH  KING,  Scranton,  Pa. 

LEONARD  KIPP,  Derby,  Conn. 

H.  A.  KISSINGER,  Scranton,  Pa. 

W.  W.  KOONS,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

JOHN  E.  KNAPP,  Scranton,  Pa. 

E.  L.  KNIGHT,  Coaldale,  W.  Va. 
C.  U.  KRAUSE,  Scranton    Pa. 
JACOB  J.  KUMBERGER,  Drifton,  Pa. 

F.  LAMBADER,  Scranton,  Pa. 
JOHN  E.  LANDIS,  Erie,  Pa. 

EDWARD  LANGLEY   Architect,  Scranton, 
Pa. 

DOUGLAS  W.  LANSING,  Scranton,  Pa. 
J.  F.  LAVIS.  Scranton,  Pa. 
CHARLES  LAW   Pittston,  Pa. 
F.  V   LEACH,  Scranton,  Pa. 
HARRY  J.  LEBHERZ,  Frederick   Md. 
JOSEPH  LEVY,  Scranton,  Pa. 


34 


ANNIVERSARY  GUESTS 


Continued 


BUSINESS  MEN,  STUDENTS,  ETC. 


L.  A.  LINDSAY,  Wilkes-Barre,  Pa. 

RICHARD  LLEWELLYN,  Vandling,  Pa. 

FREDERICK  LOCKETT,  Fall  River,  Mass. 

O.  J.  LODERICK,  Wyoming,  Pa. 

H.  A.  LOGAN,  Prattville,  Ala. 

WILLIAM  H.  LOGAN,  Scranton,  Pa. 

ARTHUR  LONG,  Scranton,  Pa. 

JAMES  S.  McANULTY.  Scranton,  Pa. 

F    M.  McCARTHY,  Cincinnati,  Ohio 

F.  D.  McGOWAN,  Scranton,  Pa. 

MICHAEL  J.  McHALE,  Parsons,  Pa. 

F.  C.  McLAUGHLIN,  Scranton,  Pa. 

ED.  J.  MAHER,  Mahanoy  City,  Pa. 

P.  J.  MARLOW,  Sugar  Notch,  Pa. 

J.  H.  MASSE,  New  Orleans,  La. 

CHARLES  P.   MATTHEWS,   Scranton,  Pa. 

R.  J.  MATTHEWS,  Scranton,  Pa. 

JOHN  A.  MAYER,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

B.  B.  MEGARGEE,  Scranton,  Pa. 
F.  O.  MEGARGEE,  Scranton,  Pa. 
FRANK  X.  MEIER,  Richmond  Hill,  N.  Y. 
W.  F.  MILLER,  Scranton,  Pa. 

P.  G.  MOORE,  Scranton,  Pa. 
W.  A.  MOORE,  Humboldt,  Tenn. 
H.  AUG.  MOTZ,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
J.  G.  MILFORD,  Middletown,  N.  Y. 

D.  P.  MURRAY,  Scranton,  Pa. 
MORTIMER  G.  NICHOLS,  Scranton,  Pa. 
W.  S.  NORTHUP,  Scranton,  Pa. 

WM.  S.  NORTON,  Alden  Station,  Pa. 
M.  J.  O'BOYLE,  W.  Pittston,  Pa. 
W.  W.  O'BOYLE,  W.  Pittston    Pa. 
L.  E.  O'BRIEN,  Scranton,  Pa. 
JACOB  OLLENDIKE    Dickson  City.  Pa. 
LEWIS  OSSMAN.  Mt.  Carmel,  Pa. 

C.  L.  OTTINGER.  Scranton   Pa. 
EARL  PADGETT,  Coffeyville.  Kan. 

E.  R.  PARKER,  Scranton,  Pa. 
STEPHEN  PAULACK,  Mayfield,  Pa. 


F.  L.  PECK,  Scranton,  Pa. 
GRANT  PELTON.  Scranton.  Pa. 
R.  E.  PETERS,  Wilkes-Barre,  Pa. 
FRANK  C.  PLATT,  Scranton,  Pa. 
EARL  PODGETT,  St.  Joseph,  Mo. 
E.  A.  POOLE,  Scranton,  Pa. 
J.  A.  PORT,  Arlington,  N.  J. 
E.  H.  POWELL,  Scranton,  Pa. 
WM.  J.  POWERS,  Scranton,  Pa. 
WM.  H.  RAITLINE,  Summit  Hill,  Pa. 
H.  M.  RANDOLPH,  Scranton,  Pa. 
J.  F.  RANDOLPH,  Scranton,  Pa. 
JOHN  F.  REED,  Lebanon,  Pa. 
M.  A.  REESE,  Scranton,  Pa. 

D.  C.  REUSCH,  Scranton,  Pa. 

B.  W.  RIBBLE,  Bangor,  Pa. 

W.  H.  RICHMOND,  Scranton,  Pa. 
J.  J.  RODRIGUEZ,  Scranton,  Pa. 
W.  H.  SAEGER,  Pittsburg,  Pa. 
SAMUEL  SAMTER,  Scranton,  Pa. 

C.  D.  SANDERSON,  Scranton,  Pa, 
RALPH  H.  SAUNDERS,  Tottenville,  N.  Y 
WM.  SCHELLIN,  Akron,  Ohio 
CHARLES  SCHLAGER,  Scranton,  Pa. 
ALBERT  SCHOELLER,  Trenton,  N.  J 
CHARLES  S.  SEAMANS.  Scranton,  Pa 
JOHN  SEARFASS,  Scranton,  Pa. 

J.  E.  SHAPLEY,  Binghamton,  N.  Y. 

E.  D.  SHAW,  Nashua,  N.  H. 
J.  SHONE   Scranton.  Pa. 

A.  J.  SHORTALL,  Pottsville,  Pa. 
C.  E.  SMITH   Scranton,  Pa. 
FRANK  S.  SMITH,  Scranton,  Pa. 
GEORGE  B.  SMITH,  Scranton,  Pa. 
J.  D.  SMITH.  Scranton    Pa. 
R.  W.  SNYDER,  Scranton,  Pa. 
N.  L.  SOMERS,  Scranton,  Pa. 
EDWARD  M.  STACK,  Scranton,  Pa. 
C.  V.  STALLANGS,  C.  P.  Diaz,  Mexico 


35 


ANNIVERSARY  GUESTS 


Continued 


BUSINESS  MEN,  STUDENTS,  ETC. 


R.  D.  STEVENS,  Lawrence,  Mass. 

W.  J.  STEWART,  JR.,  New  Brighton,  Pa. 

PETER  W.  STINEBISER,  Jeannette,  Pa. 

FRANK  R.  STOCKER,  Scranton,  Pa. 

EDWARD  B.  STURGES,  Scranton,  Pa. 

HENRY  A.  SWANN,  Oliver  Mills,  Pa. 

J.  C.  SWEENEY,  Scranton,  Pa. 

A.  E.  SWEET,  Scranton,  Pa. 

JOHN  SWIGERT.  Carbondale,  Pa. 

JNO.  A.  SYLVESTER,  Scranton,  Pa. 

CHARLES  T.  TALCOTT,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

JOHN  R.  TALT,  Santa  Rosa,  Cal. 

P.  J.  TANNER,  Scranton,  Pa. 

JOHN  TAYLOR,  Scranton,  Pa. 

WILLIAM  H.  TAYLOR,  Scranton,  Pa. 

W.  H.  TAYLOR,  Scranton,  Pa. 

WM.  E.  TEW,  Waverly,  N.  Y. 

H.  L.  THOMAS,  Englewood,  Colo. 

R.  W.  THOMAS,  Scranton,  Pa. 

JOHN  C.  TIBBETTS,  Grafton,  W.  Va. 

G.  A.  TRANSUE,  Scranton,  Pa. 

J.  J.  TRAVERS,  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

C.  K.  TRUMBOWER,  Pittston,  Pa. 


H.  W.  ULRICH,  Sheboygan,  Wis. 

C.  H.  VALLOW,  O'Fallon,  111. 

MAJ.  FRANK  M.  VANDLING,  Scranton,  Pa. 

C.  WADSWORTH,  Scranton,  Pa. 

G.  P.  WALKER.  Scranton,  Pa. 

FRANK  B.  WARD,  Scranton,  Pa. 

A.  B.  WARMAN,  Scranton,  Pa. 

JOHN  T.  WATKINS,  Scranton,  Pa. 

SAMUEL  E.  WAYLAND,  Scranton,  Pa. 

E.  N.  WEAVER,  Scranton,  Pa. 

CHARLES  S.  WESTON,  Scranton,  Pa. 

WM.  WHALLEY,  Knoxville,  Tenn. 

L.  C.  WHEAT,  Decatur,  111. 

G.  SOMERS  WHITE,  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

W.  C.  WILLIAMSON,  Scranton,  Pa. 

E.  Z.  T.  WILSON,  Olney,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

F.  E.  WILSON,  Bradford,  Pa. 
W.  J.  WILLIAMS,  Summit,  N.  J. 
R.  C.  WILLS,  Scranton,  Pa. 

H.  H.  WOLFE,  Quincy,  111. 
C.  J.  WOOD,  Barnesboro,  Pa. 
J.  WOODBRIDGE,  Dalton,  Pa. 
C.  S.  WOOLWORTH,  Scranton,  Pa. 


36 


COMMITTEES 
ON  FIFTEENTH  ANNIVERSARY 


EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE 
OF  ARRANGEMENTS 

E.  A.  SEITZ,  Chairman 

J.  K.  GRIFFITH  H.  H.  STOEK 

W.  L.  CONNELL  H.  S.  ROBINSON 

J.  D.  JONES  L.  A.  OSBORNE 

T.  E.  JONES  FRANK  M.  KEANE 

W.  SCOTT-COLLINS  M.  F.  LARKIN 


COMMITTEE  ON  INVITATIONS 

J.  K.  GRIFFITH,  Chairman 

W.  L.  CONNELL  T.  E.  JONES 

R.  J.  FOSTER  E.  H.  LAWALL 

C.  D.  JONES  F.  T.  PATTERSON 

C.  D.  SIMPSON 


DECORATIONS  AND  EXHIBIT 

L.  A.  OSBORNE,  Chairman 

M.  D.  GRAVATT  E.  LAMAZE 

W.  SCOTT-COLLINS  J.  J.  CLARK 

L.  H.  KJELLSTEDT  H.  S.  ROBINSON 

E.  N.  GOLDSMAN 


ADVERTISING  EXHIBIT 

FRANK  M.  KEANE,  Chairman 

GEO.  H.  FISHER  J.  H.  FOSTER 

FRANK  MCLAUGHLIN  E.  N.  GOLDSMAN 


37 


COMMITTEES 


Continued 


L.  A.  OSBORNE 
A.  W.  DIPPY 


MENU  CARD 

FRANK  M.  KEANE,  Chairman 


CHAS.  GAMEWELL 
CHAS.  HAYES 


RECORDS  AND  PRIZE  WINNERS 


M.  F.  LARKIN,  Chairman 


W.  P.  WEICHEL 


GEO.  H.  FISHER 


DINNER  AND  SEATING  ARRANGEMENT 


T.  E.  JONES,  Chairman 

W.  SCOTT-COLLINS,  Vice-Chairman 

S.  P.  ALLEN 


L.  A.  OSBORNE 
J.  J.  CLARK 
W.  B.  RIDENOUR 
J.  F.  COSGROVE 


EXERCISES 


H.  H.  STOEK,  Chairman 


E.  K.  RODEN 


N.  H.  PROUTY 
H.  S.  ROBINSON 
H.  L.  TYLER 
E.  B.  WILSON 


G.  H.  FISHER 
A.  B.  CLEMENS 


ACCEPTANCES 


H.  S.  ROBINSON,  Chairman 


J.  F.  DAVIS 
F.  M.  KEANE 


38 


COMMITTEES 

Continued 

RECEPTION  AND  ENTERTAINMENT 

W.  L.  CONNELL,  Chairman 
J.  D.  JONES,  Vice-Chairman 


R.  J.  FOSTER 
J.  K.  GRIFFITH 
C.  D.  JONES 
T.  E.  JONES 

E.  H.  LAWALL 

F.  T.  PATTERSON 

C.  D.  SIMPSON 
S.  P.  ALLEN 
M.  F.  LARKIN 

D.  C.  HARRINGTON 


Vice-President    I    J.  T.  BEARD,  C.  E.,  E.  M. 


Director 

Director 

Director 

Director 

Director 

Director 

Secretary 

Controller 


Manager  of  Legal  Department 
J.  J.  CLARK,  M.  E.  Dean  of  Faculty 

M.  D.  GRAY  ATT,  M.  Sc. 

Principal  of  School  of  Mathematics  and 
Mechanics 

W.  R.  PARKER,  S.  B. 

Principal  of  School  of  Advertising 
W.  SCOTT-COLLINS 

Principal  of  School  of  Architecture 

L.  A.  OSBORNE 

Principal  of  School  of  Arts  and  Crafts 
G.  H.  DIMPFEL,  Ph.  D. 

Principal  of  School  of  Chemistry 
A.  LLANO,  C.  E. 

Principal  of  School  of  Civil  Engineering 
W.  D.  KOCHERSPERGER 

Principal  of  School  of  Civil  Service 

N.  H.  PROUTY 

Principal  of  School  of  Commerce 

L.  H.  KJELLSTEDT,  C.  I. 

Principal  of  School  of  Drawing 
F.  H.  DOANE,  A.  M.  B. 

Principal  of  School  of  Electrical  Engineering 

E.  LAMAZE,  B.  S.,  C.  A.  P. 

Principal  of  School  of  French 
W.  A.  SIEBER,  Ph.  D. 

Principal  of  School  of  German 

SOLOMON  FOSTER 

Principal  of  School  of  Law 
C.  J.  ALLEN 

Principal  of  School  of  Lettering  and  Sign 

Painting 

J.  F.  COSGROVE 

Principal  of  School  of  Locomotive  Running 

A.  B.  CLEMENS,  M.  E. 

Principal  of  School  of  Mechanical  Engi- 
neering 


Principal  of  Coal  Mining  Division,  School 
of  Mines 

E.  B.  WILSON,  C.  E. 

Principal    of     Metal    Mining    Division, 
School  of  Mines 

E.  K.  RODEN 

Principal  of  School  of  Navigation 

W.  B.  RIDENOUR,  A.  M. 

Principal  of  School  of  Pedagogy 

T.  N.  THOMSON 

Principal  of  School  of  [Plumbing,  Heating, 
and  Ventilation 

CARLOS  DIAZ,  Ph.  D. 

Principal  of  School  of  Spanish 

J.  A.  GRENING 

Principal  of  School  of  Steam  and  Marine 
Engineering 

J.  M.  MARIS,  B.  S.,  M.  E. 

Principal  of  School  of   Structural   Engi- 
neering 

H.  S.  WEBB,  M.  S. 

Principal    of    School    of    Telephone    and 
Telegraph  Engineering 

C.  P.  BROOKS 

Principal  of  School  of  Textiles 

E.  N.  GOLDSMAN 

Principal  of  School  of  Window  Trimming 
and  Mercantile  Decoration 

H.  H.  STOEK     Editor  of  Mines  and  Mini  rah 
G.  H.  FISHER     Editor  of  I.  C.  S.  Messenger 

J.  F.  DAVIS 

Manager  of  Language  Sales  Department 

W.  P.  CHRISTOPHER 

Manager  of  Technical  Supply  Co. 
H.  L.  TYLER  Editor  of  Ambition 

J.  H.  FOSTER 

Manager  of  Advertising  Department 

F.  W.  WILSON 

Manager  of  Mail  Sales  Department 

C.  GAMEWELL 

Manager  of  Printing  Department 

C.  J.  HAYES 

Manager  of  Illustrating  Department 

DAVID  COTTLE 

Manager  of  Collection  Department 
H.  S.  ROBINSON 

Manager  of  Correspondence  and  Students' 
Record  Department 

T.  H.  MAGINNISS 

Manager  of  Students'  Aid  Department 


39 


SCIENCE  INSTRUCTING  INDUSTRY 


40 


INTERNATIONAL 
CORRESPONDENCE  SCHOOLS 

HELD  IN  THE 

LYCEUM  THEATER 
SCRANTON,  PA. 


OCTOBER  SIXTEENTH,  NINETEEN-SIX 

10   A.  M. 


WILLIAM  L.  CONNELL.  Chairman 


41 


ANNIVERSARY   EXERCISES 

Occupying  the  rear  of  the  stage  of  the  Lyceum 
Theater  were  the  members  of  the  Scranton 
Oratorio  Society,  and  in  front,  the  following: 

THOMAS  J.  FOSTER 

President  of  the  International  Textbook  Company 


WILLIAM  L.  CONNELL 

Ex-Mayor    of    Scranton,  Director   of    the 
International  Textbook  Company 


HON.  SAMUEL  W.  PENNYPACKER 

Governor  of  Pennsylvania 


REV.  GEORGE  C.  PECK,  D.  D. 

Pastor  Elm  Park  Church 

HOMER  GREENE,  LITT.  D. 

Author,  Aitorney-at-Law 


JACOB  K.  GRIFFITH,  A.  C. 

Director    of    the    International    Textbook 
Company 

RUFUS  J.  FOSTER 

Vice-President  of  the  International   Text- 
book Company 

THOMAS  E.  JONES 

Director    of    the    International    Textbook 
Company 

STANLEY  P.  ALLEN 

Secretary   of    the   International    Textbook 
Company 

JOHN  JESSE  CLARK,  M.  E. 

Dean  of  the  Faculty 


H.  H.  STOEK 


Editor  of  Mines  and  Minerals 


JOHN  L.  MARTIN,  C.  E. 


Director  of  Instruction 


WILLIAM  B.  RIDENOUR,  A.  M. 

Principal  of  School  of  Pedagogy 


HON.  J.  BENJAMIN  DIMMICK 

Mayor  of  Scranion 

HON.  CHARLES  EMORY  SMITH 

Ex- Postmaster  General  of  the  United  States 

ELMER  H.  LAW  ALL 

Treasurer  of   the   International    Textbook 
Company 

CYRUS  D.  JONES 

Director    of    the    International    Textbook 
Company 

FRANK  T.  PATTERSON 

Director    of    the    International    Textbook 
Company 

CLARENCE  D.  SIMPSON 

Director    of    the    International    Textbook 
Company 

JACOB  H.  REICHERT 

Second  Vice- President  of  the  International 
Textbook  Company 

WILLIAM  P.  MAYER 

Third  Vice-President  of  the  International 
Textbook  Company 

EDWIN  A.  SEITZ 

Manager  of  the  Extension  Department 

SOLOMON  FOSTER 

Principal  of  the  School  of  Law 

W.  N.  MITCHELL 

General  Manager  of  the  Railway  Department 


42 


PROGRAM 


WILLIAM  L.  CONNELL,  Chairman 

(Q)  "Lift  Thine  Eyes"  ...       ,  .       , 

(6)  "He  Watching  Over  Israel"  Mendelssohn 

Scranton  Oratorio  Society 

Invocation 

Rev.  George  Clarke  Peck,  D.  D. 

Address  of  Welcome 

Hon.  J.  Benjamin  Dimmick,  Mayor  of  Scranton 

Address,  "Education  in  the  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania" 

Hon.  Samuel  W.  Pennypacker,  Governor  of  Pennsylvania 

Chorus,  "Bells  of  Aberdovey"  A  n.  by  T.  J.  Davies 

The  Ladies  of  the  Scranton  Oratorio  Society 

Paper,  "The  International  Correspondence  Schools" 

Mr.  Thomas  J.  Foster,  President,  International  Textbook  Company 

Chorus,  "And  the  Glory  of  the  Lord"  Handel 

Scranton  Oratorio  Society 

Address,  "Educational  Influence  of  the  Press" 

Hon.  Charles  Emory  Smith,  Ex-Postmaster-General,  Publisher  Philadelphia  Press 

Paper,  "The  I.  C.  S.  Textbooks" 

Mr.  John  Jesse  Clark,  M.  E.,  Dean  of  the  Faculty 

Music,  "Venice"  Nevin 

Bauer's  Orchestra 

Paper,  "The  I.  C.  S.  Method  of  Instruction" 

Mr.  William  B.  Ridenour,  A.  M.,  Principal,  School  of  Pedagogy 

Chorus,  "Hallelujah"  Handel 

Scranton  Oratorio  Society 

Closing  Announcement 

William  L.  Connell 


43 


REV.  GEORGE  CLARKE  PECK,  D.D. 


The  exercises  were  opened  at  1 0  a.  m. 
by  Chairman  William  L.  Connell 

Prayer  was  offered  by  Rev.  George 
Clarke  Peck,  D.  D.,  Pastor  of  Elm  Park 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Scranton,  Pa. 


45 


46 


OPENING  REMARKS 

HON.  WILLIAM  L.  CONNELL 

Ex-Mayor  of  Scranton,  Director  of 
the  International  Textbook  Company 

LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN: 

You  are  assembled  this  morning  to  celebrate  the  Fifteenth 
Anniversary  of  the  International  Correspondence  Schools,  a  cele- 
bration that  is  intended  also  as  a  tribute  or  testimonial  to  their 
honored  founder,  Mr.  Thomas  J.  Foster.  (Applause.) 

I  wish  that  I  might  dwell  just  for  a  moment  on  the  wonderful 
progress  of  this  institution  during  the  past  fifteen  years — might 
speak  of  what  its  nine  hundred  thousand  students  have  done  for 
themselves  as  well  as  for  the  moral  and  industrial  uplift  of  our 
country.  I  should  like  to  enlarge  upon  the  fact  that  by  its  unique 
but  efficient  methods  this  great  industrial  university  has  made 
it  easy  for  parents  to  realize  their  hopes  concerning  the  education 
of  their  boys  and  girls.  It  would  be  interesting  and  profitable, 
if  time  permitted,  to  describe  how  the  International  Correspondence 
Schools  have  brought  inspiration  and  hope  to  so  many  and  have 
enabled  them  to  rise  from  menial  and  obscure  places  in  life  to 
occupations  high  in  remuneration,  usefulness,  and  honor. 

Vast  Possibilities 

Great  indeed  are  the  possibilities  of  this  nine  hundred  thousand 
— this  army  greater  than  that  of  the  Civil  War,  an  army  whose 
vast  potencies  operate  along  vocations  of  peace  for  a  higher  intel- 
ligence and  a  brighter  future  for  the  country  that  we  all  love. 

The  real  purpose  of  the  exercises  this  morning  is  to  throw 
light  upon  the  history  and  methods  of  this  great  Institution;  to 
give  to  those  of  us  who  do  not  thoroughly  understand  the  system 
of  education  by  correspondence  a  further  light  upon  the  subject. 
With  that  thought  in  mind,  we  ask  you  this  morning  to  give  us 
your  undivided  attention,  and  through  the  papers  that  are  to  be 
read,  to  trace  with  us  the  development  of  the  International  Cor- 
respondence Schools. 

I  now  have  the  pleasure  of  introducing  to  you  the  Mayor  of 
Scranton,  the  Honorable  J.  Benjamin  Dimmick,  who  will  deliver 
an  address  of  welcome. 


47 


HON.  J.  BENJAMIN  DIMMICK 


ADDRESS  OF  WELCOME 

HON.  J.  BENJAMIN  DIMM1CK 

Mayor  of  Scranton,  Pa. 

MR.  CHAIRMAN,  AND  LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN: 

The  duties  of  a  mayor  are  many,  his  privileges  few — an  obser- 
vation which  I  think  will  be  affirmed  by  my  honorable  friend  and 
predecessor,  the  gentleman  who  is  presiding  over  this  meeting. 
And  chief  among  those  privileges  is  that  of  welcoming  the  guests 
who  come  to  our  doors. 

Today,  however,  I  have  the  double  pleasure  of  not  only  extend- 
ing hospitality,  but  also  of  paying  homage — homage  to  the  great 
work  of  the  institution  whose  birthday  we  are  now  celebrating. 

When,  fifteen  years  ago,  the  stork  left  at  our  door  a  somewhat 
delicate  infant  known  as  the  "  Colliery  Engineer,"  even  the  Scranton 
Board  of  Trade,  an  organization  not  entirely  unused  to  taking  a 
somewhat  rosy  view  of  the  potentialities  of  future  undertakings, 
utterly  failed  to  forecast  the  wonderful  growth  of  the  child  in 
whose  honor  we  are  gathered  today,  and  whose  voice,  even  at  the 
early  age  of  fifteen,  has  penetrated  almost  every  country  of  the 
known  world. 

Adds  Distinction  to  City 

This  infant  industry — employing  a  phrase  now  applied  to  our 
colossal  undertakings,  and  therefore  perhaps  fittingly  selected — 
this  infant  industry  is  an  important  factor  in  our  community. 
Viewed  from  the  standpoint  of  statistics,  we  see  an  institution 
employing  over  twelve  hundred  men  and  women,  men  and  women 
of  a  character  that  adds  distinction  to  our  body  politic.  We  see 
an  institution  of  which  the  monthly  pay  roll  is  over  sixty  thousand 
dollars,  and  of  which  the  local  installation  cost  over  eight  hundred 
thousand  dollars.  We  see  an  institution  of  which  the  output  of  a 
single  department,  the  printery,  in  the  past  year,  was  over  twenty- 
five  million  pieces  of  separate  printed  matter.  And  above 
all,  breaking  away  from  material  data,  we  see  an  institution — and 
therein  lies  our  deepest  satisfaction — that  has  given  of  the  springs 
of  knowledge,  in  the  short  period  of  a  decade  and  a  half,  to  nearly 
one  million  of  students. 


49 


There  are  others  here  who  will  speak  more  in  detail  of  this 
work.  There  are  others  who  will  speak  on  the  general  subject  of 
education.  I  shall,  therefore,  confine  my  remarks — and  possibly 
not  without  a  sense  of  propriety — to  the  political  necessity  of 
education. 

Popular  Intelligence  Essential 

We  have  been  told  by  many  writers  that  popular  intelligence 
is  essential  in  any  form  of  democratic  government.  The  term 
indicated,  however,  simple  familiarity  with  the  "three  R's"  and 
with  such  rudimental  knowledge  as  would  safeguard  life,  liberty, 
and  the  pursuit  of  happiness.  But  today  we  must  go  further. 
In  our  highly  organized  society,  the  safeguard  of  our  inalienable 
rights,  like  the  very  upholding  of  the  decalogue,  demands  not 
simply  strength  of  purpose,  but  also  clearness  of  vision — clearness 
of  vision  in  an  atmosphere  in  which  the  great  orb  of  truth  is  not 
always  easily  discernible.  We  need  a  citizenship  with  trained 
intelligence,  far,  far  higher  than  was  demanded  only  twenty-five 
years  ago;  a  citizenship  that  can  wrestle  with  such  subjects  as 
finance,  from  its  fundamental  propositions  as  to  a  single  or  a  double 
standard,  up  to  and  through  the  involved  and  intricate  problems 
of  currency  and  banking;  a  citizenship  that  can  pass  upon  the 
economic  merits  of  the  so-called  trusts  and  the  regulation  of  rates ; 
a  citizenship  that  can  pass  and  pass  wisely,  upon  that  difficult, 
almost  unsolvable  problem,  the  problem  of  the  negro;  that  can 
act,  and  act  wisely,  concerning  that  great  principle  of  federal 
supervision — a  supervision  which,  in  my  judgment,  is  destined 
at  no  distant  date  to  touch  almost  every  walk  of  life. 

In  fact,  my  friends,  we  need  a  trained  electorate,  an  electorate 
that  can  distinguish  between  the  sound  and  the  sophistical,  an 
electorate  that  can  first  mentally  decide,  and  then  morally 
determine. 

Silent  Influence  of  the  I.  C.  S. 

Toward  this  end,  incidentally,  if  you  please,  but  none  the  less 
surely,  the  International  Correspondence  Schools  are  steadily 
working.  Their  white  missives  fall  as  silently  as  snow  flakes 
upon  every  city  and  upon  every  hamlet  in  the  land. 

My  official  position  in  the  community  would  seem  to  demand, 
even  at  the  risk  of  throwing  myself  open  to  the  charge  of  resorting 
to  bald  and  possibly  embarrassing  compliments,  that  I  should 
publicly  pronounce  the  name  of  the  one  who  may  justly  be  regarded 


50 


as  the  founder  of  this  new  yet  simple  method  of  instruction  in  the 
industrial  and  commercial  world;  of  the  one  who  in  the  realm  of 
pedagogy,  like  others  in  the  realm  of  physics,  has  annihilated 
space.  That  man  who,  in  classical  phrase,  is  the  deus  ex  machina — 
Thomas  J.  Foster.  (Great  applause.) 

To  you,  our  guests,  we  extend  an  official  welcome  to  the  city 
of  Scranton,  and  that  welcome  is  none  the  less  cordial,  none  the 
less  representative  of  the  feelings  of  the  community,  that  it  is  not 
engrossed  upon  parchment  or  encased  in  silver.  Many  of  you  are 
distinguished,  all  of  you  are  worthy  citizens  of  this  great  republic. 
And  it  is  a  source  of  supreme  satisfaction  to  us  that  we  are  gathered 
together  in  the  interests  of  education,  the  very  rock  upon  which 
our  republic  rests. 

We  wish  you,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  a  pleasurable  stay  in  our 
city,  and  when  you  depart,  we  trust  that  you  will  carry  with  you 
the  same  high  regard  for  us  as  a  community,  that  we  entertain 
toward  you  as  individuals.  (Applause.) 


51 


GOVERNOR  SAMUEL  W.  PENNYPACKER 


EDUCATION  IN  THE 
COMMONWEALTH  OF  PENNSYLVANIA 


HON.  SAMUEL  W.  PENNYPACKER 

Qooernor  of  Pennsylvania 


MR.  PRESIDENT,  MR.  MAYOR,  LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN: 

It  is  a  very  great  pleasure  to  me  to  be  permitted  to  participate 
upon  this  interesting  occasion,  and  to  be  one  of  this  large  audience. 
One  of  your  fellow  citizens  who  is  among  the  ablest  of  those  now 
doing  the  great  work  of  the  Commonwealth,  has  often  spoken  to 
me  about  the  achievements  of  this  School.  He  is  now  lying  in  his 
native  town  upon  a  bed  of  pain  I  am  sure  you  all  unite  with  me 
in  the  prayer  that  the  hand  of  the  Lord  will  rest  lightly  on  him. 
(The  reference  is  to  Hon.  Frederick  W.  Fleitz,  Deputy  Attorney 
General  of  Pennsylvania.) 

Education  in  Pennsylvania 

The  cause  of  education  has  ever  been  one  of  the  utmost  concern 
to  the  people  of  your  Commonwealth.  We  hear  much  in  the  days 
of  the  early  settlement  of  Jamestown  and  the  early  settlement  of 
Plymouth,  of  battles  with  the  Indians,  though  we  hear  little  from 
either  of  them  about  the  establishment  of  schools.  In  Philadel- 
phia, the  next  year  after  the  settlement,  one  of  the  earliest  subjects 
to  attract  the  attention  of  the  people  was  the  establishment  of  a 
school.  The  first  medical  school  in  America  was  established  among 
yourselves.  As  you  well  know,  in  almost  every  county  in  this 
Commonwealth  there  is  a  university  or  a  college.  We  have  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  the  Jefferson  Medical  School,  as  well 
as  Bryn  Mawr,  Bucknell,  Lehigh,  Washington  and  Jefferson, 
Franklin  and  Marshall,  and  many  other  colleges.  It  is  almost 
impossible  to  name  them  all.  But  colleges  and  universities  by  no 
means  cover  the  field  of  education.  The  state,  as  you  likewise 
well  know,  gives  out  of  its  resources  six  millions  of  dollars  to  main- 
tain the  public  schools 


53 


Power  of  a  Correct  Thought 

The  greatest  of  forces  which  have  moved  mankind,  is  a  great 
correct  thought.  Power  dissipates,  wealth  is  scattered,  all  the 
influences  that  tie  men  together  are  presently  broken ;  but  the  man 
who  has  a  correct  thought  and  develops  it  in  action  establishes 
something  on  the  face  of  the  earth  that  will  last  forever.  (Applause.) 

When  Moses  first  talked  of  the  unity  of  the  Godhead,  of  the 
Supreme  Being,  he  determined  the  future  of  mankind.  When  a 
peasant  up  in  the  mountains  of  Switzerland  first  suggested  the 
separation  of  Church  and  State,  he  then,  as  it  were,  created  the 
government  under  which  you  are  now  living.  (Applause.)  The 
man  who  in  the  cause  of  education  suggested  the  idea  that  there 
are  masses  of  people  over  the  earth  who  cannot  go  to  colleges  and 
universities,  who  have  not  even  the  time  to  go  to  the  common 
schools,  but  who  need  the  up-lifting  of  training  and  education — he 
did  a  lasting  and  a  beneficial  work.  (Applause.) 

On  looking  hurriedly  over  your  program,  I  see  that  nine  hundred 
and  thirty  thousand  young  men  and  women  have  enjoyed  the  bene- 
fits of  this  School.  Think  what  that  means!  Look  at  the  signifi- 
cance of  that  thought.  And  happily,  fortunately,  this  School 
was  established  here  in  this  community.  I  have  just  been  riding 
around  your  hills  and  have  seen  your  beautiful  landscapes,  I  have 
seen  the  evidences  of  thrift  everywhere  exemplified  about  you. 
In  order  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  present  day,  where  could  a  school 
of  this  kind  be  better  established  than  in  this  growing,  strong, 
and  resourceful  community?  (Applause.) 

Happily  it  so  occurred.  And  now,  at  the  end  of  fifteen  years, 
you  meet  to  celebrate  its  establishment,  you  meet  to  look  back 
over  the  success  that  has  been  accomplished.  It  is  the  hope  of 
your  people,  it  is  the  hope  of  the  Commonwealth,  and  it  is  the 
general  belief  that  this  great  Institution  will  go  on  into  the  future 
with  like  success  and  with  continued  prosperity.  (Applause.) 


54 


THE   INTERNATIONAL 
CORRESPONDENCE  SCHOOLS 

THOMAS  J.  FOSTER 

President  of  the  International  Textbook  Company 

On  the  occasion  of  the  first  formal  celebration  of  an  anniversary 
of  an  educational  institution  conducted  on  new  principles,  it  is 
fitting  that  the  plan  through  which  its  success  has  been  attained 
should  be  officially  stated.  This  task  devolves  on  me  by  reason  of 
my  position  at  the  head  of  the  institution. 

The  Schools  had  their  beginning  in  efforts  to  teach  coal  miners 
to  qualify  for  the  examinations  that  candidates  for  appointment 
as  mine  inspectors  and  mine  foremen  must  pass  in  this  and  other 
states.  To  pass  these  examinations,  they  must  solve  the  formulas 
governing  the  flow  of  air  through  mine  passages  and  understand 
the  gases  met  with  in  mines,  mine  surveying,  and  the  machinery 
used  about  mines.  To  do  this,  they  need  to  know  many  of  the 
processes  in  arithmetic,  including  involution,  evolution,  ratio,  and 
proportion ;  the  use  of  the  signs  and  symbols  employed  in  formulas, 
the  application  of  formulas  and  their  solution,  and  something 
of  Chemistry,  Geometry,  Trigonometry,  Mechanics,  and  Hydro- 
mechanics. It  is  no  ordinary  educational  problem  to  impart  this 
knowledge  to  men  who  never  attended  school,  or  did  so  for  only  a 
year  or  two  before  they  were  put  to  work ;  who  are  ignorant  of  the 
first  processes  of  arithmetic;  whose  average  age  is  twenty -seven ; 
who  work  every  day  in  the  mines;  who  have  families  to  support; 
who  cannot  quit  work  to  attend  a  day  school;  and  who  will  not 
attend  a  night  school  because  they  cannot  be  present  at  every 
session,  and  because  they  are  ashamed  to  expose  their  ignorance  to 
others  who  attend;  who,  when  studying  at  home,  use  the  kitchen 
table  for  a  desk  and  often  rock  the  cradle  with  one  hand,  to  keep 
the  baby  quiet,  while  holding  their  lesson  paper  in  the  other — it  is 
no  ordinary  educational  problem,  we  say,  to  impart  this  knowledge 
to  such  men.  The  present  I.  C.  S.  plan  of  teaching  is  the  perfected 
system  with  which  men  conditioned  and  situated  as  described  are 
qualified  in  all  the  subjects  of  a  mining  education,  and  made  mining 
engineers,  mine  inspectors,  mine  superintendents,  and  mine  foremen. 


55 


Drawing  Taught  With  Success 

In  perfecting  the  system  to  teach  mining,  we  learned  that 
we  could  teach  all  the  engineering  trades  and  professions. 
The  first  contracts  provided  that  the  miners  should  come  to 
Scranton  to  learn  Surveying  and  Mapping  in  day  classes  under 
the  instruction  of  present  teachers.  We  did  not  know  that  we 
could  teach  the  use  of  surveying  instruments  or  drawing  by  mail. 
But  the  students  could  not  spare  the  time  nor  afford  the  expense 
to  attend  classes  at  Scranton.  We  were  compelled  to  experiment, 
and  were  successful  in  making  a  textbook  from  which  the  student 
could  learn,  without  the  assistance  of  a  present  teacher,  to  use  a 
surveying  instrument  and  make  a  map.  A  few  years  later,  we 
were  teaching  Mechanical  and  Architectural  Drawing  to  thousands. 
We  have  enrolled  to  date  over  one  hundred  thousand  students  in 
Drawing  Courses,  and  Drawing  is  part  of  the  instruction  in  all 
the  Engineering  Courses.  We  have  over  eight  thousand  students 
in  Art  Courses,  in  which  are  taught,  among  other  subjects,  Free- 
Hand  Drawing,  Perspective  Drawing,  Pen-and-ink  Rendering, 
Water-Color  Rendering,  Drawing  from  Nature,  Drawing  from 
Casts,  and  Drawing  from  the  Human  Figure. 

An  idea  of  the  present  scope  of  the  instruction  work  may  be 
obtained  from  the  thirty-one  schools  into  which  the  teaching 
organization  is  divided.  Each  of  these  is  in  charge  of  a  Principal, 
who  may  have  an  Assistant  Principal  and  will  have  in  his  separate 
organization  from  one-half  dozen  to  over  fifty  Examiners  and 
Assistant  Instructors. 

Specialized  Instruction 

The  titles  of  the  thirty -one  schools  are:  Advertising,  Archi- 
tecture, Arts  and  Crafts,  Chemistry,  Civil  Engineering,  Civil  Service, 
Commerce,  Drawing,  Electrical  Engineering,  Electrotherapeutics, 
English  Branches,  French,  German,  Spanish,  Law,  Lettering  and 
Sign  Painting,  Locomotive  Running,  Mathematics  and  Mechanics, 
Mechanical  Engineering,  Coal  Mining,  Metal  Mining,  Navigation, 
Pedagogy,  Plumbing,  Heating  and  Ventilation,  Sheet-Metal  Work, 
Shop  and  Foundry  Practice,  Steam  and  Marine  Engineering, 
Structural  Engineering,  Telephone  and  Telegraph  Engineering, 
Textiles,  Window  Trimming  and  Mercantile  Decoration. 

One  of  the  most  important  features  of  I.  C.  S.  instruction  is 
specialization.  We  teach  workers  who  must  take  for  study,  time 
which  would  otherwise  be  given  to  recreation  and  rest.  They 
study  under  so  many  disadvantages  that  their  instruction  must  be 


56 


restricted  to  the  processes  and  principles  of  the  particular  trade 
or  part  of  a  trade  in  which  they  desire  to  be  educated.  Therefore, 
the  instruction  is  grouped  into  many  Courses,  to  suit  the  require- 
ments of  the  students.  Thus,  there  are  stationary  engineers  who 
wish  to  qualify  to  care  for  and  operate  a  small  steam  plant;  others, 
who  want  to  qualify  to  take  charge  of  a  plant  of  two  hundred  and 
fifty  horsepower;  and  others  who  want  to  qualify  to  superintend  a 
plant  of  thousands  of  horsepower.  We  have,  therefore,  three 
Steam  Engineering  Courses.  In  the  advanced  Courses,  the  subjects 
are  treated  at  greater  length  and  instruction  in  more  subjects  is 
included.  The  School  of  Electricity  teaches  thirteen  Courses;  the 
School  of  Mechanics,  ten,  and  so  on. 

Unique  Plan  of  the  I.  C.  S. 

The  plan  of  the  Schools  differs  from  the  methods  usually  em- 
ployed in  teaching,  in  the  following  particulars: 

First. — The  textbooks  used  are  prepared  specially  for  home 
study. 

Second.- — The  work  of  the  student  is  corrected,  and  he  is  directed 
and  assisted  in  his  studies,  through  the  mails. 

Third. — The  Courses  of  Instruction  are  sold  on  the  monthly 
instalment  plan,  through  publicity  and  solicitation,  to  persons, 
the  majority  of  whom  before  they  are  approached  by  Representa- 
tives of  the  Institution,  have  not  seriously  thought  of  self-improve- 
ment. These  miners,  mechanics,  and  others,  are  induced  to  under- 
take Courses  of  study  by  inspiring  the  desire  for  technical  educa- 
tion and  creating  the  self-confidence  necessary  to  begin  the  work. 
Students  that  become  discouraged  and  quit  studying  are  recan- 
vassed  and  induced  to  resume  their  studies  by  the  Representatives 
as  they  call  on  them  from  month  to  month  for  their  instalment 
payments. 

(The  rules  followed  in  the  preparation  of  the  home-study 
textbooks  and  the  methods  of  examining  and  correcting  the  stu- 
dents' answer  papers  and  of  assisting  them  in  their  work,  will  be 
described  in  papers  to  be  read  at  these  exercises.) 

How  I.  C.  S.  Courses  Are  Sold 

Five  per  cent,  or  more  of  the  Scholarships  are  sold  to  men 
engaged  in  the  engineering  trades  and  professions — some  of  them 
graduates  of  scientific  schools,  who  buy  the  texts  for  reference 
purposes,  because  they  are  concise,  complete,  practical,  and  better 
indexed  than  other  technical  publications. 


57 


Twenty  per  cent,  are  sold  to  persons  who  desire  to  qualify  for 
Civil-Service  examinations  or  the  examinations  in  mining,  steam 
engineering,  electricity,  plumbing,  etc.,  required  by  many  states 
and  municipalities,  or  who  are  alive  to  the  advantages  of  technical 
training  and  desire  to  educate  themselves  to  obtain  promotion  or 
advancement. 

Thus,  about  twenty-five  per  cent,  of  the  business  comes  through 
the  demand  for  a  practical  system  of  home  study  in  the  theory 
of  the  trades  and  engineering  professions,  but  the  larger  part — 
seventy-five  per  cent. — is  secured  by  creating  the  demand. 

You  cannot  give  away  education;  you  can  give  free  instruction. 
Men  will  not  study  unless  strongly  influenced.  Students  with 
whom  the  desire  for  improvement  is  a  controlling  motive,  will 
take  full  advantage  of  opportunities  for  free  instruction,  but  the 
proportion  of  the  ambitious  to  the  whole  number  that  should 
study,  is  small.  Most  of  those  we  enroll  will  not  accept  a  Scholar- 
ship as  a  gift  on  condition  that  they  are  to  use  it,  before  their 
ambition  is  aroused  and  their  self-confidence  stimulated. 

Of  the  great  majority  who  undertake  to  study,  it  is  true  that 
they  need  in  the  start,  until  the  study  habit  is  formed,  every  aid 
to  perseverance.  The  more  this  class  pay  for  tuition,  the  better,  as 
the  fact  that  they  themselves  pay  the  price  is  an  incentive  to  work. 

Inspirational  Publicity  and  Solicitation 

The  greater  portion  of  the  I.  C.  S.  Courses  are  sold  to  careless 
and  indifferent  persons,  by  arousing  their  ambition,  building  up 
their  self-confidence,  and  inducing  them  to  enroll  by  what  I  shall 
call  inspirational  publicity  and  inspirational  solicitation. 

There  are  but  two  ways  to  sell:  first,  through  publicity,  which 
is  advertising;  and,  second,  through  solicitation,  which  is  salesman- 
ship. We  employ  both.  We  publish  and  talk  the  benefits  of 
education  and  the  great  rewards  open  to  men  who  can  do  work 
better  than  their  fellows;  that  education  is  the  key  to  the  door- 
way to  success ;  that  we  have  a  practical  means  for  men  that  work 
to  educate  themselves  in  their  work  at  their  work;  that  a  man  can 
form  the  study  habit  and  educate  himself;  that  we  have  special 
textbooks,  easy  to  learn,  easy  to  remember,  and  easy  to  apply; 
that  the  price  is  within  the  reach  of  all  since  it  can  be  paid  at  the 
rate  of  five  dollars  or  three  dollars  per  month,  and  that  if,  for  any 
reasonable  cause,  such  as  sickness,  or  loss  of  employment,  the 
student  is  unable  to  make  his  payments  promptly,  he  is  given 
time,  and  permitted  to  continue  his  studies  in  the  interim  without 
additional  charge. 


58 


We  advertise  in  every  publication  from  which  we  can  obtain 
prospects,  a  name  for  persons  sufficiently  interested  to  make  inquiry 
about  the  Courses  of  Instruction  or  methods  of  teaching,  at  a  cost 
not  too  great,  and  are  using  a  hundred  mediums,  mainly  magazines 
and  trade  journals.  If  we  had  the  capital  to  carry  large  advertise- 
ments in  the  daily  papers  for  a  year  or  more,  we  could  probably 
obtain  results  through  them,  and  also  through  bill -board  and 
street-car  advertising. 

The  advertising  is  made  effective  by  illustrations  that  catch 
the  attention  of  the  indifferent,  untrained  mechanic,  make  him 
realize  his  unfortunate  position,  and  suggest  to  him  that  he  can 
improve  his  condition  by  mastering  the  theory  of  his  trade. 

The  Unambitious  Inspired  to  Study 

The  enrolment  is  not  made  from  the  educated  or  cultured 
classes;  the  only  qualification  required  to  enter  for  a  Course  is 
the  ability  to  read  and  write  English.  The  plan  is  intended  for 
persons  ignorant  of  elementary  mathematics  who  cannot  attend 
a  regular  school  to  study,  and  for  whom  there  has  heretofore  not 
been  provided  a  practical  means  for  self -education.  We  find  that 
drawings,  such  as  "Are  Your  Hands  Tied,"  "On  Which  Side  of 
the  Desk  Are  You,"  etc.,  will  halt  these  people  as  they  drift 
through  life,  and  give  them  the  first  suggestion  they  have  ever  had, 
perhaps,  that  there  is  something  better  to  which  they  can  attain. 

If  our  advertisements  were  simple  announcements  of  technical 
courses  to  sell,  as  are  the  advertisements  of  the  regular  schools, 
we  would  not  have  one  inquiry  where  we  now  have  a  dozen.  It 
is  said  that  last  year  if  there  had  been  ten  graduates  from  the 
Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology  for  every  one  that  did 
graduate,  they  all  could  have  found  employment  at  good  salaries. 
Why  not  advertise  this  important  truth  so  that  young  men  may 
be  induced  to  take  advantage  of  the  opportunities  offered  by 
that  great  institution  and  others  like  it? 

One  of  the  greatest  needs  of  the  time  is  some  agency  to  make 
more  of  the  people  desire  education  sufficiently  to  deny  themselves 
to  obtain  it.  If  Mr.  Carnegie  will  supplement  his  magnificent 
gifts  for  libraries  by  establishing  a  foundation  to  provide  half 
a  million  dollars  annually  to  be  expended  in  advertising  the 
benefits  of  education  and  the  resources  of  his  libraries,  he  will 
be  surprised  by  the  great  increase  in  the  number  using  his  libraries. 

This  inspirational  advertising  in  magazine  and  trade  papers, 
in  millions  of  circulars  placed  in  the  homes  of  the  country  every 
month,  in  exhibits  in  retail-store  windows,  and  in  shops  where 


59 


mechanics  are  employed,  produces  prospects.  An  inquiry  received 
from  the  advertising  is  answered  by  the  Mail  Sales  Department, 
and,  if  the  prospect  resides  in  a  Route,  his  name  and  address  is 
forwarded  to  the  Representative  of  the  Schools  who  calls  upon 
him,  furnishes  information  required,  and  solicits  him  to  enroll. 

I.  C.  S.   Field  Organization 

The  Field  Organization  of  the  Schools  consists  of  eight  hundred 
Routes,  grouped  in  two  hundred  and  forty  Divisions  of  three  or 
more  Routes  each,  which  are  arranged  in  thirty-four  Districts  of 
seven  or  more  Divisions  each,  and  covers  the  United  States  and 
Canada.  Twelve  hundred  salesmen  represent  the  Institution  in 
these  Routes,  Divisions,  and  Districts. 

There  is  also  a  Railway  Organization,  in  charge  of  a  General 
Manager,  in  which  there  are  employed  eighty  salesmen.  The 
Schools  own  and  operate  seven  Air-Brake  Instruction  Cars,  a 
Dynamometer  Car,  and  a  Passenger  Railway  Service  Testing  Car. 
There  are  instructors  lecturing  on  Combustion  of  Fuel  and  Firing, 
on  nine  cars  that  are  furnished  by  Railroad  Companies.  We  are 
soliciting  business  on  over  one  hundred  railroads  in  the  United 
States  and  Canada,  to  whose  employes  we  sell  Locomotive  Run- 
ning Scholarships  at  reduced  prices,  in  consideration  of  facilities 
for  doing  the  work  provided  by  the  Company.  The  first  arrange- 
ment of  this  kind  was  made  with  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway 
eight  years  ago.  That  we  have  been  selling  on  this  road  ever  since, 
and  are  doing  as  large  a  business  now  as  at  any  time  in  the  past, 
is  evidence  of  the  excellence  of  the  educational  service  we  give. 

Salesmen  Awaken  Ambition 

The  salesmen  arouse  the  ambition  of  people  ignorant  of  or 
indifferent  to  the  advantages  of  technical  education ;  create  in  them 
a  desire  for  self -improvement ;  convince  them  that  they  can  educate 
themselves  by  home  study ;  and  induce  them  to  undertake  Courses 
of  instruction,  and  afterwards  encourage  them  in  the  cultivation 
of  application,  concentration,  and  the  study  habit,  that  they  may 
persevere  in  their  studies. 

A  salesman  can  tell  more  effectively  than  advertisements  the 
story  of  the  great  disadvantages  the  working  man  labors  under, 
who  is  ignorant  of  arithmetic,  drawing,  and  the  theory  of  his  trade, 
and  can  speak  with  more  effect  of  the  opportunity  offered  by  the 
Schools  to  remove  these  disadvantages.  He  makes  the  prospec- 
tive student  dissatisfied  with  his  present  condition,  and  points  out 


60 


the  road  to  better  fortune.  He  can  give  full  particulars,  answer 
objections,  and  remove  doubts.  He  convinces  the  prospect  by 
'  his  earnestness,  and,  if  necessary,  convinces  the  wife  or  father,  or 
mother,  or  all  of  them.  It  is  often  necessary  to  do  this,  because 
an  engagement  to  pay  for  a  Scholarship  is  an  important  transaction 
for  many  working  men,  and  other  members  of  the  family  must 
sometimes  be  consulted.  Most  of  the  students  obtained  from 
advertising  prospects  are  enrolled  by  salesmen.  The  advertise- 
ment secures  the  interview  for  the  salesman. 

Inspirational  Work  by  Students 

The  student  body  created  during  the  past  fifteen  years  is  as 
productive  a  source  of  prospects  and  enrolments  as  is  the  adver- 
tising. The  alumni  of  a  college  are  a  valuable  asset ;  and  the  army 
of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  I.  C.  S.  students  is  a  powerful  ally  in 
promoting  our  interests.  The  student  enrolls,  makes  sufficient 
progress  in  his  Course  to  derive  benefit,  and  tells  his  friends.  An 
advertisement  is  not  so  effective  as  the  testimony  of  a  student 
who,  through  home-study  training,  has  advanced  in  his  trade,  or 
in  some  other  occupation,  to  a  position  of  responsibility.  Seeing  is 
believing.  Such  testimony  creates  a  desire  for  improvement  in 
thousands  who  might  otherwise  remain  indifferent.  Every  month, 
hundreds  of  students  are  promoted.  They  know  the  work  and  its 
great  value  and  can  intelligently  and  earnestly  urge  their  fellows 
to  do  as  they  have  done. 

Many  students  voluntarily  assist  the  salesmen  in  enrolling  their 
friends,  and  all  who  do  assist  are  paid  for  the  service,  if  they  will 
accept  payment.  The  students  are  systematically  solicited  to  aid 
in  the  work,  on  altruistic  grounds,  and  without  their  assistance  the 
large  enrolment  required  to  minimize  costs  could  not  be  obtained. 
The  same  equipment  in  textbook  plates,  buildings,  printing  plant, 
etc.,  and  the  same  organization  at  home  and  in  the  field  would  be 
required  if  the  enrolment  were  but  five  thousand  per  month. 

Benefits  Derived  by  Students 

In  considering  the  educational  work  being  done  by  the  Schools, 
it  must  be  investigated  from  two  points  of  view:  (1)  the  benefit 
derived  by  the  individual  student;  and,  (2)  the  proportion  of 
students  benefited. 

The.  booklet  which  you  found  in  your  seats,  entitled  "Short 
Extracts  from  the  School  Histories  of  I.  C.  S.  Students,"  will  help 
in  forming  an  opinion  as  to  the  value  of  the  work  to  the  student. 


61 


If  any  gentleman  desires  to  inquire  further  into  this  subject,  we 
will  furnish  him  with  a  list  of  the  students  living  in  his  own  locality 
whom  he  can  interview.  The  limits  of  this  paper  will  only  permit 
me  to  say  that  with  I.  C.  S.  texts,  and  help  through  the  mails  as 
given  by  the  I.  C.  S.  Instructors,  any  man  can  learn  to  draw  and 
obtain  a  full  knowledge  of  the  theory  of  any  of  the  trades  and 
professions  we  teach.  To  that  extent  and  all  it  stands  for,  we  can 
help  a  man  starting  without  any  knowledge  of  mathematics. 

As  to  the  proportion  the  students  helped  bear  to  the  whole 
number  of  students,  it  is  impossible  to  give  exact  figures,  but  an 
approximately  correct  estimate  can  be  made. 

As  previously  stated,  most  of  tl.e  Scholarships  are  sold  on  the 
instalment  plan  on  small  first  payments,  by  inspirational  publicity 
and  solicitation,  to  persons  who  have  never  done  any  studying  and 
who  are  not  accustomed  to  self-denial.  It  is  much  easier  to  resolve 
to  study  than  to  study,  and  many  are  enrolled  who  do  not  become 
students.  For  the  man  who  agrees  to  study  and  pay,  and  does 
not,  we  are  not  responsible.  About  two-thirds  of  those  enrolled 
pay  for  their  Scholarships,  occupy  the  status  of  a  matriculated 
student  in  a  college  or  university,  and  are  entitled  to  I.  C.  S. 
instruction.  Three  out  of  every  four  of  these  are  benefited. 

Comprehensive  Courses  of  Study 

Considering  the  amount  of  work  involved  in  completing  the 
Courses,  the  circumstances  of  the  students  and  the  fitness  of  the 
textbooks  for  home  study  without  assistance,  it  is  not  to  be  expected 
that  many  students  will  pass  the  final  examinations  and  receive 
Diplomas.  The  Courses  are  complete;  they  describe  all  appli- 
cations in  a  trade  or  profession,  and  many  of  them  require  a  great 
deal  of  time  and  study.  The  Electrical  Engineering  Course 
embraces  5,702  pages,  and  the  Architectural  Course,  5,296  pages 
of  instruction  matter.  To  answer  the  examination  questions  of 
the  Complete  Coal  Mining  Course  will  require  the  student  to  write 
117,000  words,  make  83  diagrams,  and  14  drawing  plates;  the 
examination  in  the  Electrical  Engineering  Course  requires  120,000 
words,  157  diagrams,  and  39  drawing  plates,  and  the  Architectural 
Course  requires  96,600  words,  101  diagrams,  and  55  drawing 
plates.  The  average  time  taken  by  students  to  complete  the  Coal 
Mining  Course  is  4  years  and  3  months ;  to  complete  the  Electrical 
Engineering  Course,  4  years  and  2  months,  and  to  complete  the 
Architectural  Course,  3  years  and  8  months.  The  longest  time 
taken  by  a  student  to  finish  the  Complete  Coal  Mining  Course 

62 


was  13  years  and  2  months,  the  Electrical  Engineering  Course, 
9  years  and  10  months;  and  the  Architectural  Course,  9  years 
and  5  months. 

One  hundred  thousand  students  have  completed  their  Courses 
in  full,  or  have  completed  the  preliminary  papers  of  their  Courses 
and  a  number  of  the  advanced  papers,  or  have  received  a  mark 
of  ninety-eight  per  cent,  on  an  advanced  plate  in  drawing,  which  is 
given  to  none  but  persons  who  have  learned  to  draw.  Over  thirteen 
thousand  of  the  latter  have  received  Diplomas  or  Certificates  of 
Proficiency,  the  latter  being  Diplomas  for  the  shorter  Courses. 

History  of  First  Five  Hundred  Students 

The  first  five  hundred  students  were  enrolled  between  October 
16,  1891,  and  May  20,  1892,  in  the  Complete  Coal  Mining  Course, 
the  only  Course  taught  at  the  time.  An  examination  of  the  records 
shows  that  three  hundred  and  eighty-five,  or  seventy-seven  per 
cent.,  completed  one  or  more  subjects  of  the  Course,  and  forty -six 
completed  the  Course.  The  average  number  of  papers  passed  by 
students  who  sent  in  work,  was  ten.  The  majority  were  content 
with  completing  the  papers  on  Arithmetic,  Mensuration,  and  Mine 
Ventilation,  which  would  qualify  them  to  pass  the  examinations 
for  mine  foremen. 

Many  of  these  students  have  passed  away,  and  of  others  we  have 
lost  all  trace.  We  have  compiled  a  list  of  one  hundred,  who, 
with  few  exceptions,  were  miners  when  they  enrolled.  Fifty 
of  them  are  now  coal  operators,  mining  engineers,  mine  inspectors, 
or  mine  superintendents,  and  the  rest  are  mine  foremen. 

No.  1.  Thomas  Coates,  who  is  with  us  today,  a  miner  when 
he  enrolled,  is  a  mine  foreman. 

No.  4.  Joseph  Knapper,  then  a  miner,  now  an  inspector 
of  mines. 

No.  16.  Jesse  Ainsworth,  then  a  miner,  now  a  mine  super- 
intendent. 

No.  80.  John  H.  Jones,  then  a  miner,  now  a  coal  operator  and 
millionaire. 

These  first  five  hundred  students  did  more  studying  than  the 
average  I.  C.  S.  student.  They  nearly  all  enrolled  without  solici- 
tation, to  qualify  for  the  examinations,  and  had  a  strong  incentive 
to  work.  Over  seventy-seven  per  cent,  completed  one  or  more 
subjects  of  the  Course,  while  but  one-half  of  all  the  students  pass 
one  or  more  of  the  subjects  of  their  Courses. 


63 


How  Much  Studying  is  Done 

The  fifty  per  cent,  of  students  who  pass  in  at  least  one  subject 
of  their  Course,  pass,  on  an  average,  three  subjects;  they  complete 
arithmetic,  geometrical  drawing,  and  mechanical  drawing;  or,  arith- 
metic, geometrical  drawing,  and  architectural  drawing;  or,  blow- 
piping,  assaying,  and  mineralogy;  or,  arithmetic,  mensuration,  and 
mine  ventilation ;  or,  any  three  of  the  five  hundred  subjects  taught 
by  the  Schools;  or  they  complete  a  single  subject  like  arithmetic, 
or  a  Course  of  thirty  or  forty  subjects.  It  takes  the  average 
student  nearly  four  months  to  finish  a  subject;  so  that  one-half  of 
all  the  students  study  on  an  average  one  year  with  the  Schools. 
There  can,  therefore,  be  no  question  that  fifty  per  cent,  of  the 
students  are  benefited. 

Ninety  per  cent,  of  the  students  when  they  enroll  cannot  work 
fractions,  and,  therefore,  those  who  complete  only  Arithmetic 
are  benefited.  As  the  examples  in  Arithmetic  for  each  Course 
apply  to  the  trades  of  which  the  Courses  treat,  a  person  mastering 
them  learns  arithmetic  and  at  the  same  time  many  of  its  appli- 
cations in  his  trade. 

Easy  to  Learn,  Remember,  and  Apply 

Having  intended  only  that  the  I.  C.  S.  Textbooks  for  home 
study  should  be  easy  to  learn,  easy  to  remember,  and  easy  to  apply, 
when  a  teacher  assists  by  mail,  we  have  found  by  trial  that  they 
are  easy  to  learn,  remember,  and  apply,  without  a  teacher.  It  is 
our  practice  to  furnish  students,  when  they  enroll,  with  a  complete 
set  of  the  texts  of  their  Courses,  bound  in  half  leather;  they  are 
furnished  with  another  set  in  pamphlet  form  as  they  proceed  with 
their  studies.  Many  students  complete  one  or  two  subjects  of 
their  Course,  send  in  no  further  work,  and  use  their  textbooks  for 
home  study  without  the  assistance  of  their  Instructors. 

Many  Courses  are  bought  by  engineers,  managers  of  works,  super- 
intendents, and  others,  with  the  intention  of  using  them  for  study 
without  the  assistance  of  a  teacher  or  for  reference  purposes. 
Others  who  intend  to  send  their  work  for  correction,  find  that  they 
can  obtain  from  the  Bound  Volumes  alone  the  knowledge  needed 
for  promotion  and  advancement;  and  send  in  no  work. 

The  Case  of  Michael  J.  McHale 

The  case  of  Michael  J.  McHale,  G-728,  who  is  here  today  as  a 
guest  of  the  Schools,  shows  what  men  who  have  nearly  everything 


64 


to  learn  can  accomplish  with  I.  C.  S.  textbooks  without  the  assist- 
ance of  the  Instructors.  Mr.  McHale,  while  working  as  a  miner, 
was  solicited  by  a  Representative  one  afternoon  just  after  receiving 
his  pay,  to  enroll  for  a  Course.  He  was  convinced  that  it  would  be 
to  his  advantage  to  study,  but  as  he  had  received  only  eleven 
dollars  for  the  month's  pay  and  had  a  wife  and  two  children  to 
support,  he  concluded  to  take  the  Representative  to  his  home 
and  have  him  lay  the  matter  before  Mrs.  McHale.  She  also  was 
convinced  that  her  husband  should  study,  and  although  they 
could  hardly  see  their  way  to  do  it,  Mr.  McHale  enrolled  and  gave 
five  dollars  out  of  the  eleven  dollars  as  the  first  payment  on  his 
Scholarship.  He  is  now  a  mine  foreman.  Children  were  formerly 
put  to  work  in  and  around  the  mines  at  very  early  ages,  and  Mr. 
McHale  started  to  work  when  he  was  only  eight  and  one-half 
years  old.  He  says  he  knew  nothing  of  arithmetic  when  he  began. 
Having  promised  the  Representative  that  he  would  study  one 
hour  a  day,  he  kept  his  word,  and  at  the  end  of  a  year  could  extract 
square  and  cube  root.  While  studying,  he  wrote  an  occasional 
letter  to  the  Schools  asking  for  explanation  of  difficulties  met  in  his 
studies.  These  were  answered,  but  he  received  no  other  assistance, 
for  he  sent  no  answers  to  the  examination  questions  of  his  Course. 


Students  Benefit  From  Textbooks 

Recently  one  of  the  Principals  visited  a  number  of  localities  and 
made  careful  inquiry  to  ascertain  what  proportion  the  students 
that  use  their  textbooks  for  studying  without  sending  in  work  for 
correction  and  derive  benefit  by  so  doing,  bear  to  the  whole  number 
that  pay  for  their  Courses.  He  reported  that  twenty-five  per  cent, 
of  the  students  are  using  their  textbooks  without  assistance  from 
the  Schools,  and  are  deriving  such  benefit  that  they  are  enthusiastic 
friends  of  the  Institution.  It  is  the  opinion  of  others  who  have 
investigated  the  matter  that  this  is  a  conservative  estimate. 

Counting  those  who  use  the  textbooks  for  study  at  home  with- 
out assistance  from  the  Instructors,  seventy-five  per  cent,  of  the 
students  are  benefited. 

The  delinquents,  the  name  coined  for  persons  enrolled  who  will 
not  study  and  do  not  pay,  are  a  loss  to  the  Schools.  The  cost  of 
enrolling  and  furnishing  them  with  first  work  is  more  than  the 
average  amount  received,  and  the  fact  that  they  undertake  the 
work  and  fail  to  persevere,  deters  others  from  enrolling. 


65 


Systematic  Encouragement  of  Students 

Representatives  start  persons  at  their  studies  who  cannot 
understand  the  printed  instructions  how  to  commence  the  work, 
and  then  help  them  to  master  the  processes  of  arithmetic  and  solve 
difficult  problems.  They  receive  the  same  commission  for  rein- 
stating a  delinquent  that  they  do  for  enrolling  a  new  student,  and 
it  is  a  rule  that  delinquents  must  be  induced  to  resume  their  studies 
and  payments  if  it  is  possible  to  get  them  to  do  so. 

If  a  person  enrolled  fails  to  send  in  work  within  sixty  days, 
he  is  written  to  by  the  Instruction  Department  and  advised  to 
begin  his  studies;  if  he  commences  to  study  and  stops,  he  is  urged 
at  intervals  to  resume  the  work.  Last  year  one  hundred  and 
thirteen  thousand  eight  hundred  and  thirty-one  such  letters  were 
written. 

Our  Encouragement  Department,  at  the  request  of  salesmen 
who  furnish  particulars  of  the  student's  character  and  habits, 
writes  about  fifteen  thousand  letters  per  year.  These  letters, 
written  by  men  of  more  than  ordinary  ability  for  this  work,  induce 
many  to  return  to  their  studies. 

Magazine  of  Inspiration  for  Students 

Persons  enrolled  receive  for  a  year,  free  of  charge,  the  monthly 
publication  "Ambition."  The  purpose  of  this  journal  is  to  create 
a  desire  to  profit  from  the  advantages  of  study,  stimulate  to  perse- 
verance, and  develop  self-reliance. 

It  is  made  the  duty  of  teachers  and  Representatives  as  they 
correspond  with  students  or  come  in  contact  with  them,  to  permit 
no  opportunity  to  pass  unimproved  to  impress  upon  them  the 
great  good  to  be  gained  by  completing  the  Courses  of  study;  to 
convince  them  that  the  habit  of  study  is  not  more  difficult  to  form 
than  other  good  habits,  and  that  such  habit  once  acquired,  carries 
with  it  the  power  of  concentration,  the  quality  most  necessary  to 
business  success. 

A  Department  composed  of  teachers  who  show  special  fitness 
for  the  work,  instructs  those  who  find  great  difficulty  in  learning, 
and  a  particular  Instructor  is  assigned  to  a  very  slow  student,  with 
instructions  to  insure  his  success  if  it  takes  all  of  the  teacher's  time. 

If  the  student  so  desires,  his  employer  is  informed  of  the  prog- 
ress he  makes  in  his  studies.  As  the  student  passes  each  Instruction 
Paper,  he  is  notified  that  if  he  will  send  us  the  address  of  his 
employer,  of  an  officer  of  the  company  for  which  he  works,  or  of  any 


66 


other  person  whom  he  wishes  to  be  informed  that  he  is  studying, 
the  Instructor  will  write  such  person  and  inform  him  that  the 
student  has  completed  the  Paper. 

Students'  Aid    Department 

Our  Students'  Aid  Department  writes  letters  for  students  out 
of  work,  or  desirous  of  changing  their  work,  to  the  persons  to  whom 
they  are  applying  for  employment,  giving  their  school  history. 
The  Students'  Aid  also  assists  students  out  of  work,  or  seeking  a 
change  of  work,  in  finding  employment,  and  furnishes  draftsmen, 
mechanics,  and  others  with  special  training,  to  employers  in  need 
of  them. 

On  the  payment  of  a  transfer  fee  of  one  dollar,  a  delinquent 
student  is  transferred  to  another  Course  of  instruction,  if  he  thinks 
he  can  do  better  than  in  the  Course  for  which  he  enrolled. 

Delinquency  in  payment  does  not  suspend  a  student's  privi- 
leges. The  instruction  records  are  not  checked  against  his  account. 
As  in  the  winter  months  we  correct  the  work  of  twenty  thousand 
students  a  week,  this  saves  expense,  and  besides,  a  student  who 
obtains  advancement  through  his  studies,  even  if  he  does  not  pay, 
is  worth  something  to  the  Schools.  We  do  not,  however,  give  a 
delinquent  who  studies  through  his  Course  and  passes  his  final 
examinations,  a  Diploma,  until  his  account  is  paid  in  full. 

We  are  now  holding  the  Diplomas  for  a  number  of  delinquents. 
A  student  in  Michigan,  enrolled  three  years  ago,  completed  the 
Sheet-Metal  Pattern  Drafting  Course  last  week,  although  he  had 
made  only  the  initial  payment  of  five  dollars  on  his  Scholarship. 

The  business  requires  large  capital.  The  textbook  plates 
for  the  Courses  of  Instruction  cost  $1,500,000.  The  buildings, 
printing  plant,  and  furniture  represent  an  expenditure  of  $1,000,000, 
and  there  is  invested  in  stocks  of  paper  and  publications  to  con- 
duct the  business,  $500,000.  The  Scholarships  are  sold  on  the 
instalment-payment  plan  and  the  accounts  receivable  amount  to 
$3,500,000.  We  have  $100,000  invested  in  cars  used  in  instructing 
railway  employes,  and  are  the  largest  importers  of  drawing  instru- 
ments in  the  United  States. 

A  Commercial  Enterprise 

This  is  a  commercial  enterprise.  It  is  necessarily  so.  The 
capital  could  not  have  been  secured  unless  dividends  were  earned 
and  paid.  That  the  money  to  commence  the  business  was  obtained 
was  surprising  to  many,  because  it  was  an  experiment.  The  idea 


67 


of  conducting  a  large  school  of  any  description  and  making  it  pay 
was  new.  It  would  have  been  impossible  to  secure  millions  at 
the  start,  but  the  beginning  was  small;  a  profit  was  made  each  year 
and  the  necessary  capital  taken  in  as  the  business  grew. 

There  are  four  thousand  stockholders,  among  whom  are  many 
successful  students.  They  invest  in  the  stock  of  the  Company 
because  they  believe  that  the  most  permanent  and  profitable 
business  enterprises  are  those  supplying  a  general  want;  that  at 
this  time  when  capital  and  industry,  as  well  as  education  and 
invention  have  joined  hands  in  improving  the  conditions  of  living, 
there  is  as  great  a  demand  for  trained  brains  as  there  is  for  food 
or  clothing;  and  that  a  technical  school  conducted  on  the  lines 
this  is,  with  so  wide  a  field  of  operation,  should  be  as  profitable 
as  a  mine  or  a  mill  or  a  tobacco  factory  or  a  brewery. 

Superior  Educational  Service 

But  because  the  business  is  conducted  on  a  commercial  basis, 
it  does  not  follow  that  the  service  performed  is  inferior  to  that  of 
other  educational  institutions,  part  of  whose  income  is  derived 
from  endowments  or  to  such  as  are  maintained  by  the  State  or 
National  Governments. 

Home  study  under  a  teacher  who  directs  and  assists  the  stu- 
dent by  correspondence  is  more  difficult  than  study  where  the 
recitations  are  made  to  a  present  teacher.  But  its  greater  diffi- 
culty is  compensated  for  in  its  stronger  influence  in  developing 
the  traits  of  character  that  make  most  for  business  success — self- 
reliance,  concentration,  and  exactness. 

The  student  who  educates  himself  studying  at  home  after 
working  hours  proves  his  strength  and  ever  after  has  confidence 
in  himself.  Without  a  teacher,  he  acquires  the  habit  of  concentra- 
tion; and  in  writing  the  answers  to  the  examination  questions,  he 
learns  to  work  accurately.  This  is  coming  to  be  known  by  employ- 
ers, many  of  whom,  in  seeking  help,  give  preference  to  I.  C.  S. 
students.  Even  the  Certificates  of  Progress  attached  by  the 
Instructors  to  corrected  recitations,  are  helpful  in  obtaining  posi- 
tions and  promotions. 

Suits  Convenience  of  Student 

The  rules  of  a  home-study  school  conducted  for  profit,  as  this 
is,  are  made  to  suit  the  convenience  of  the  student  and  not  of  the 
teacher.  An  I.  C.  S.  mining  student  may  begin  his  studies  in  the 
coal  mines  of  Pennsylvania,  continue  them  while  prospecting  in 


68 


Alaska,  and  finish  them  in  the  gold  fields  of  South  Africa.  He 
studies  one  hour  a  day  or  one  hour  a  week,  as  he  feels  inclined. 
Some  students  take  one  month  to  finish  the  Algebra  of  the  Mechan- 
ical Course  in  which  the  subject  is  treated  only  as  far  as  Quadratic 
Equations,  while  others  take  eighteen  months.  Students  frequently 
quit  studying  for  years  and  then  take  up  the  work  where  they  left 
off.  In  our  contract,  we  provide  that  we  will  issue  Diplomas  only 
to  such  students  as  pass  final  examinations  to  our  satisfaction, 
but  we  agree  to  teach  the  student  until  he  is  qualified  to  pass  the 
examination.  We  have  a  few  students  unable  to  understand  the 
principles  taught,  who  have  been  through  the  Courses  two  or 
three  times,  and  are  still  unable  to  pass  the  examinations. 

To  get  new  business,  we  must  satisfy  our  customers.  The 
student  must  have  value  for  the  money  he  pays  or  he  will  not 
recommend  the  Schools  to  his  fellows.  We  cannot  afford  to  offend, 
and  the  rule  is  to  do  more  for  the  student  than  we  contract  to  do, 
and  to  meet  his  demands  on  our  time  and  resources,  provided  that 
it  is  possible  to  do  so.  We  receive  hundreds  of  letters  every  week 
from  students  asking  for  technical  information  not  covered  by 
their  Courses  of  Instruction,  and  which  we  are  not  under  obliga- 
tions to  answer,  all  of  which  are  carefully  answered.  I  have  known 
a  Principal  to  spend  three  days  answering  a  question  which  we  were 
not  required  to  answer.  We  cannot  answer  all  questions  of  this 
character,  but  we  can  and  do  tell  the  inquirer  where,  in  our  text- 
books or  in  others,  he  can  find  the  knowledge  wanted. 

It  will  be  apparent  that  regulations  such  as  these  largely 
increase  the  labor  and  expense  of  teaching,  yet  as  the  regulations 
must  in  all  particulars  suit  the  conditions  and  convenience  of  the 
student  and  not  those  of  the  teacher,  they  are  our  practice. 

It  is  more  difficult,  teaching  by  mail,  to  say  "No"  without 
giving  offense,  than  for  the  teacher  who  has  the  student  before 
him,  yet  because  we  must  please,  we  find  a  way  to  meet  the  demands 
of  the  unreasonable  and  exacting,  and  hold  their  good- will.  The 
business  is  conducted  for  gain,  but  with  gain  as  the  motive  influen- 
cing his  teacher,  the  student  fares  as  well  as  when  he  is  the  bene- 
ficiary of  the  State  or  of  the  philanthropist. 

Immense  Volume  of  Business 

Some  idea  of  the  volume  of  business  done  by  the  Schools  and 
the  work  involved  in  disposing  of  it  may  be  obtained  from  the 
following  data: 

In  the  school  year  ending  May  31,  1906,  there  were  examined 
and  corrected  743,754  sets  of  examination  questions  to  Instruction 


69 


Papers,  drawing  plates,  and  language  phonograph  records.  There 
were  159,482  letters  written  in  reply  to  students  asking  for  explana- 
tions of  difficulties  met  with  in  their  studies.  The  postage  paid 
at  the  Scranton  post  office  was  $105,468.  An  average  of  nine 
thousand  persons  were  enrolled  per  month,  six  thousand  of  whom 
matriculated.  We  have  seventy-five  thousand  instalment  accounts 
and  collect  on  fifty  thousand  every  month.  The  students  do  not 
pay  regularly,  the  average  being  two  payments  every  three  months. 

The  first  year,  the  receipts  of  the  Schools  were  $14,991 ;  the 
second  year,  $35,939;  the  third  year,  $73,844.  Last  year  they 
were  $4,200,000.  Last  month,  they  were  $425,000,  which  is  more 
than  in  any  pievious  month.  We  receive  $40,000  per  year  from 
New  Zealand;  $30,000  per  year  from  South  Africa;  the  Canadian 
Agencies  send  us  $180,000  per  year.  The  whole  amount  received 
in  the  fifteen  years  that  the  business  has  been  conducted  is 
$28,775,000.  There  has  been  paid  $2,300,000  in  dividends  to  the 
stockholders. 

We  have  an  Instruction  Department  in  San  Francisco  and  are 
about  opening  an  Instruction  Department  in  Wellington,  New 
Zealand,  for  students  in  Australasia.  The  Instruction  Department 
at  Wellington  will  reduce  the  time  between  the  students  in  New 
Zealand  and  the  Schools,  two  months. 

We  are  arranging  to  do  special  work  on  the  vessels  of  the 
United  States  Navy.  Of  the  seventeen  warrant  officers  promoted 
to  be  commissioned  officers  under  the  recent  Act  of  Congress, 
thirteen  are  I.  C.  S.  students. 

We  bind  our  textbooks  and  Library  of  Technology  in  half 
cloth  and  leather,  and  are  the  largest  individual  publishers  of 
books  in  that  class  of  binding  in  the  world. 

Vast  Field  of  Work 

The  field  for  the  work  is  commensurate  with  the  industries  of 
the  country.  The  American  artisans  working  in  the  trades  covered 
by  our  Courses,  number  millions.  The  total  enrolment  of  the 
Schools  barely  exceeds  the  number  of  carpenters  in  the  United 
States.  Teaching  the  theory  of  their  trades  and  professions  to 
persons  already  employed  is  only  one  branch  of  the  work;  other 
equally  important  branches  are  the  preparation  of  dissatisfied 
persons  for  more  congenial  occupations,  and  giving  to  young  per- 
sons about  to  enter  the  trades,  technical  training  to  enable  them 
to  advance  more  rapidly  than  they  otherwise  would. 

Every  year  approximately  one  million  six  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  young  men  and  women  reach  the  age  of  twenty-one  in 


70 


the  United  States.  Of  these,  only  a  few  thousand  enter  scientific 
colleges  and  institutes.  Many  of  these  leave  before  graduation 
and  in  time  become  customers  for  mail  Courses,  as  do  many  gradu- 
ates who  buy  the  Instruction  Papers  because  they  are  more 
practical  than  regular  textbooks. 

However,  the  work  of  the  Schools  is  not  confined  to  the  artisan 
and  laboring  classes.  We  have  Courses  that  business  men  and 
young  men  and  boys  who  expect  to  become  business  men,  should 
study.  They  are  the  Courses  in  Banking,  Commercial  Law, 
Window  Dressing,  Show-Card  Writing,  and  Advertising.  It  is  as 
important  for  a  business  man  to  have  a  knowledge  of  advertising 
as  it  is  that  he  should  know  commercial  arithmetic.  We  have 
thousands  of  female  students,  many  of  them  taking  the  Arts  and 
Crafts  Courses  in  which  drawing,  illustrating,  and  designing  are 
taught;  and  many  are  studying  French,  German,  or  Spanish  with 
the  phonograph,  in  the  interest  of  culture  alone. 

The  field  cannot  contract,  but  must  expand.  In  the  world's 
requirements  for  trained  heads  as  well  as  trained  hands,  no  back- 
ward step  will  ever  be  taken.  Not  only  will  the  demand  for 
technical  education  continue  to  grow  in  established  industries, 
but  it  will  be  increased  by  the  development  of  new  industries. 

Moral  Influence  of  the  I.  C.  S. 

In  concluding  this  paper,  let  me  say  that  the  I.C.  S.  is  doing 
more  than  making  skilled  brain  workers  to  direct  and  develop 
the  industries,  more  than  training  inventors  to  seek  after  the  nine 
hundred  ninety-nine  parts  of  truth  which  Mr.  Edison  says  the 
race  has  still  to  learn.  Its  Representatives  are  working  in  every 
city,  town,  and  village  of  the  country,  inducing  men  to  give  up 
idleness  and  spend  their  spare  time  in  study.  It  takes  the  careless 
off  the  street  corners,  out  of  the  saloons,  pool  rooms,  and  bowling 
alleys,  and,  by  preventing  the  waste  of  money  on  drink  and 
useless  pleasures,  puts  clothing  on  the  backs  and  food  in  the 
mouths  of  wives  and  children. 

It  inspires  to  self-denial,  works  for  concentration  and  accuracy, 
and  develops  self-reliance,  and  thus  makes  forceful  men,  who  do 
things.  Such  men  are  the  reliance  of  the  State;  the  workers  whose 
intelligence,  industry,  and  courage  keep  the  country  in  the  fore- 
front of  progress. 

Teaching  by  correspondence  is  not  new,  but  the  plans  that  we 
employ  to  make  it  efficient  and  obtain  its  use  by  the  people  are 
new.  We  have  opened  a  new  field  of  educational  endeavor  in 


71 


which  the  work  of  the  teacher  is  made  more  effective  by  the  inven- 
tion, by  the  advertising  knowledge,  and  by  the  executive  and 
organizing  power  of  the  business  man. 

When  we  succeeded  in  producing  textbooks  that  removed 
many  of  the  difficulties  and  lessened  the  labor  of  the  home  student, 
there  was  revealed  an  educational  light  which,  brightened  by 
advertising  and  salesmanship,  has  shone  around  the  world,  and 
benefited  hundreds  of  thousands. 

A  plan  of  teaching  so  far  reaching  that,  operated  in  an  interior 
city  of  Pennsylvania,  it  can  educate  and  make  better  men  and 
citizens  of  working  people  in  New  Zealand  and  South  Africa,  is 
something  worthy  the  encouragement  of  all  interested  in  the 
improvement  of  the  individual  and  the  elevation  of  the  race. 


72 


HON.  CHARLES  EMORY  SMITH 


EDUCATIONAL  INFLUENCE 
OF  THE  PRESS 

HON.  CHARLES  EMORY  SMITH 

Ex-Postmaster  General,  Publisher  of  the  Philadelphia  Press 

MR.  CHAIRMAN,  LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN: 

As  you  have  discovered  from  your  program,  I  am  a  "butter  in." 
In  self-defence,  I  ought  to  speak  more  accurately,  and  to  use  the 
passive  instead  of  the  active  verb,  and  say,  "I  am  butted  in." 
(Laughter.) 

Fortunately  for  myself,  and  still  more  fortunately  for  you, 
I  am  limited  to  a  few  minutes.  But  I  am  glad  to  be  here  on  this 
occasion.  It  is  worth  coming  to  Scranton  to  have  heard  the 
paper  that  has  just  been  read.  (Applause.) 

World-Wide  Temple  of  Education 

I  was  delighted  beyond  expression  at  the  manner  in  which  you 
received  Mr.  Foster.  It  was  your  recognition  of,  and  your  affec- 
tionate tribute  to,  one  who  had  a  great  conception,  and  who  has 
wrought  out  that  conception  with  extraordinary  ability  and  organ- 
izing power — to  an  educator  who  has  built  up  a  splendid  temple, 
whose  great  corridors  and  whose  stately  colonnades  spread  all 
over  our  land. 

He  modestly  said  that  he  was  not  a  good  speaker  or  a  good 
reader.  Well,  if  I  understand  rightly,  the  foundation  of  good 
speaking  or  good  reading,  is  to  have  something  to  say  (applause) 
or  something  to  read;  and  I  am  telling  you  but  the  truth  when 
I  say,  that  as  my  memory  runs  back  for  long,  long  years — longer 
than  I  would  dare  mention  in  the  presence  of  these  ladies  (laughter) 
— to  the  time  when  I  heard  Charles  Dickens  read  from  the  Christmas 
Carol  the  story  of  "Tiny  Tim,"  I  did  not  find  it  more  fascinating 
than  the  story  which  has  just  been  read  here.  (Applause.) 

I  found  it  remarkably  instructive  and  suggestive,  and  I  am 
sure  that  I  shall  carry  away  from  this  occasion  reflections  that 
will  be  of  advantage  in  my  own  vocation,  as  I  am  sure  every  listener 
may  do  likewise,  whatever  his  or  her  vocation  may  be. 


74 


The  Newspaper  as  an  Educator 

Your  Chairman  has  suggested  that  the  newspaper  is  an  "educa- 
tor." It  is  not  for  me  to  dispute  his  proposition.  (Laughter.) 
The  newspaper  is  an  educator,  sometimes  good,  sometimes,  unfor- 
tunately, bad;  and  I  could  not  help  feeling,  as  I  listened  to  the 
story  of  development  of  the  extraordinary  career  of  this  School, 
that  there  are  some  parallels  between  your  School  and  my  own — 
and  some  divergencies.  My  school  of  journalism  goes  to  the 
reader  or  to  the  student  in  his  home.  Your  School  also  goes  to 
the  student  in  the  home.  My  school  leaves  the  reader  to  digest 
and  master  in  his  home  what  is  presented  to  him.  Your  School, 
in  a  parallel  way,  leaves  the  student  to  master  the  lesson  sent  to 
him;  but  it  does  more  than  my  school,  for  it  invites  the  student 
to  come  back  with  his  questions,  and  his  examination  papers; 
and  though,  Mr.  Chairman,  we  in  my  profession  sometimes  profess 
to  invite  replies  (laughter),  we  never  fail  to  remember  that  we 
always  have  the  last  word.  (Laughter.) 

My  school  scatters  all  over  the  universe,  as  wide  as  the  range 
of  human  knowledge.  Your  School  shows  the  power  of  concen- 
tration. 

I.  C.  S.  Teaches  Men  to  be  Practical 

Your  honored  Mayor,  in  the  exceedingly  tasteful  and  felicitous 
address  with  which  he  welcomed  us,  dwelt  upon  the  value  and 
the  importance  of  educative  force  in  our  Republic.  Your  School 
not  merely  teaches  particular  branches,  but  by  the  development 
of  the  intellectual  power  of  its  students,  it  has  learned  how  to 
diffuse  broad  educational  influence,  how  to  enforce  discipline, 
how  to  take  minds  with  larger  powers  as  yet  undisplayed  and 
develop  those  powers,  and  lift  them  up  to  a  higher  plane.  Charles 
Lamb,  you  remember,  said  that  he  could  write  like  William  Shake- 
speare, "if  he  only  had  a  mind  to."  (Laughter.)  But  he  didn't 
have  a  mind  to.  Well,  now,  not  all  of  us — very  few  of  us — can  be 
Shakespeares.  You  remember  the  man  in  Boston  who  was  asked 
about  Shakespeare,  and  he  said,  "Yes,  he  wrote  almost  as  well 
as  if  he  had  come  from  Boston."  But  there  is  within  the  great 
body  of  men  and  women  a  mental  power  capable  of  doing  larger 
and  better  things  than  many  of  them  have  done,  if  those  minds 
are  trained  and  equipped.  And  it  is  the  great  merit  of  this  School, 
that  it  diffuses  mental  training  and  equipment  wherever  they 
may  be  sought.  It  teaches  men  to  be  practical.  It  teaches 


75 


men  to  aim  at  the  object  which  is  within  their  reach,  or  at  the 
object  that  can  be  reached  by  a  little  explanation. 

You  remember  the  story  of  the  captain  in  the  Civil  War  who 
on  his  nightly  round  espied  a  light  appearing  over  the  neighboring 
hills.  He  called  the  corporal  of  the  guard,  and  supposing  it  to 
be  the  light  of  the  enemy,  ordered  the  corporal  to  put  a  hole  in 
it.  The  corporal  sighted  his  gun,  and  then  looked  up  and  said, 
"Why  Captain,  that  is  the  moon."  "Never  mind,"  said  the 
captain,  "put  a  hole  through  it  anyway."  (Laughter.) 

Aim  at  Attainable  Mark 

Now,  that  may  be  a  mark,  but  it  is  not  real ;  it  is  not  practical. 
What  you  do,  is  to  teach  men  and  women  not  only  to  aim  high, 
but  to  aim  at  the  object  which  is  within  their  reach.  In  the  old 
mythology,  you  will  remember,  the  fabled  bowman  pointed  his 
arrow  at  the  stars;  and  though  it  left  a  gleaming  train  of  light, 
it  fell  far  short  of  the  mark. 

The  great  object  in  life  is  to  aim  at  objects  within  reach;  this 
great  School  enlarges  and  expands  the  objects  within  the  reach 
of  plain  men  and  women,  so  that  the  good  it  is  doing  is  simply 
incalculable. 

I  am  amazed  at  this  record  which  has  been  read  here.  Talk 
about  "high  finance!"  (laughter) — my  ten  minutes  are  not 
quite  up  yet  (cries  of  "Go  on!") — talk  about  "high  finance!" 
Wall  Street  isn't  in  it  (laughter),  with  this  record  of  the  work 
that  has  been  done  by  this  School,  and  of  the  tremendous  results 
accomplished  here.  It  is  simply  astounding.  I  am  only  sorry 
I  am  not  a  stockholder.  (Laughter.) 

A  Lesson  of  Concentration 

A  word  now,  about  my  own  school,  since  the  Chairman  has 
invited  me  to  follow  that  line.  I  say  I  have  learned  this  morning 
a  lesson  here.  It  is  a  lesson  of  concentration  instead  of  scattering; 
and  I  fancy  I  shall  go  back  with  something  of  a  new  conception. 
I  wish  I  had  that  man  right  at  my  shoulder  every  day.  In  fact, 
if  he  ever  gets  out  of  a  job  here,  I  think  I  know  where  he  can  find 
a  good  one.  (Laughter.)  The  man  who  can  organize  and  develop 
as  he  has  done,  can  find  a  place  down  in  Philadelphia.  I  myself 
should  be  inclined  to  retire  and  put  him  in  the  editorial  chair; 
for  I  think  he  would  be  like  John  Lane,  editor  of  the  London 
Times,  who  I  have  no  doubt  could  write  and  write  well — but  who 


76 


never  wrote.  He  had  the  power,  however,  of  calling  the  men 
about  him  who  could  write,  and  of  impressing  himself  upon  those 
men  in  such  a  way  that  he  molded  the  policy  of  cabinets  and  shaped 
the  action  of  parliaments — the  greatest  editor  the  world  has 
ever  seen. 

We  range  all  over  creation.  We  take  all  fields  for  our  realm. 
We  even  go  into  illustrations.  (Laughter.)  We  print  portraits 
at  which  one  might  well  say  as  Hamlet  said  to  the  ghost  of  his 
father,  "Thou  comest  in  such  a  questionable  shape."  (Laughter.) 
I  have  myself,  I  must  confess,  been  guilty  of  assassination;  and 
I  must  equally  confess  that,  as  a  righteous  retribution,  I  have 
myself  been  assassinated.  (Laughter.)  It  is  only  fair.  Turn 
about  is  fair  play,  you  know.  I  make  no  complaint,  but  we  must 
learn,  after  all,  the  lesson  which  this  School  teaches — the  lesson  of 
thoroughness,  of  minuteness,  of  excellence;  and  when  we  shall 
have  learned  that  lesson  as  thoroughly  as  it  is  understood  in  this 
School,  the  lesson  of  iteration  and  reiteration,  the  lesson  of  con- 
centration, then  I  am  sure  that  we  shall  expand  in  our  usefulness. 

I  thank  you,  Mr.  Chairman;  I  thank  all  of  you  for  the  pleasure 
and  the  consideration  you  have  given  me,  and  I  go  away  with  more 
of  a  feeling  of  Godspeed  for  this  School.  (Applause,) 


77 


JOHN  JESSE  CLARK,  M.  E. 


I.C.S.    TEXTBOOKS 

JOHN  JESSE  CLARK,  M.  E. 

Dean  of  the  Faculty  of  the  International  Correspondence  Schools 
Read  by  H.  H.  Stock,  Editor  of  Mines  and  Minerals 

That  I.  C.  S.  textbooks  differ  in  many  respects  from  regular 
textbooks  is  proved  by  their  popularity  and  the  enrolment  of 
about  nine  hundred  and  thirty  thousand  students  desiring  to  use 
them;  that  this  difference  is  fundamental  is  demonstrated  by  the 
fact  that  the  publishers  of  regular  textbooks  have  not  attempted 
to  imitate  our  publications.  By  the  expression  "regular  text- 
books," I  mean  those  ordinarily  used  by  schools  and  colleges. 
It  is  the  object  of  this  paper  to  point  out  the  differences  between 
I.  C.  S.  and  regular  textbooks,  to  give  reasons  for  these  differences, 
and  to  explain  how  I.  C.  S.  textbooks  are  prepared.  The  regular 
textbook  is  one  dealing  more  or  less  exhaustively  with  the  subject 
or  subjects  of  which  it  treats.  Such  a  textbook  covers  practically 
the  same  ground  as  any  one  of  half  a  dozen  or  more  other  text- 
books treating  of  the  same  subject,  and  differs  from  it  in  no  essential 
feature.  The  aim  of  the  author  is  to  produce  a  work  that  may  be 
used  by  all  who  wish  information  that  would  naturally  come  under 
the  heading  under  which  the  book  would  be  classified,  and  he  is  not 
at  liberty  to  restrict  the  scope  of  his  book  by  leaving  out  sections 
ordinarily  included  in  works  of  that  character.  For  example,  if 
the  book  be  on  arithmetic  and  is  to  include  percentage,  the  author 
would  not  dare  to  leave  out  a  section  on  interest;  if  the  book  be 
on  trigonometry,  he  would  not  dare  to  restrict  the  solution  of 
triangles  to  the  method  of  right  triangles  only  and  omit  all  demon- 
strations; and  so  on  with  other  textbooks.  If  he  did  any  of  these 
things,  publishers  would  refuse  to  print  the  book,  except  at  his 
own  expense;  schools  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  it,  because 
it  would  not  meet  their  requirements.  Its  sale  would  be  limited, 
to  say  the  least. 

Different  From  Other  Textbooks 

Yet  the  International  Textbook  Company  is  constantly  and 
deliberately  violating  all  recognized  rules  of  textbook  making,  and 
its  publications  are  more  eagerly  sought  than  any  others.  Why? 


79 


Because  we  give  the  student  exactly  what  he  wants  and  needs  in 
connection  with  the  particular  line  of  study  he  desires  to  pursue — 
and  we  give  him  no  more  and  no  less.  If  he  wishes  to  become  a 
fireman  of  a  stationary  engine,  and  hopes  that  later  he  may  become 
an  engineer  and  perhaps  have  charge  of  a  steam  plant,  we  offer 
him  a  Course  of  study  exactly  suited  to  his  requirements.  The 
textbooks  he  uses  have  all  been  written  especially  for  use  in  that 
Course. 

We  require  no  preparation  on  his  part  beyond  the  ability  to 
read  ordinary  English  prose  and  to  write  it  sufficiently  well  to 
make  himself  understood.  (There  have  been  many  cases  where 
this  latter  requirement  was  lacking  and  the  student  has  dictated 
his  work  on  the  examination  questions  to  his  wife  or  to  a  friend.) 
A  student  taking  a  Course  of  this  kind  desires  to  know  about  the 
construction  of  steam  boilers  and  steam  engines  and  how  they  are 
operated  and  cared  for.  He  wants  to  know  the  principles  connected 
with  the  firing  of  a  boiler  and  the  relative  values  of  different  fuels. 
He  must  know  how  to  solve  the  various  problems  pertaining  to 
safety  valves  and  how  to  calculate  the  strength  of  boiler  shells, 
stayed  surfaces,  joints,  etc.  He  also  wants  a  knowledge  of  the 
different  types  of  steam  engines  and  steam  pumps,  how  to  set  the 
valves,  how  to  take,  read,  and  work  up  indicator  cards,  etc.  In 
addition,  he  may  need  information  regarding  dynamos  and  motors, 
and  possibly,  also,  elevators.  Furthermore,  he  objects  to  study- 
ing any  subject  or  parts  of  a  subject  that  will  delay  him  in  getting 
this  knowledge.  All  the  information  he  requires  is  included  in 
the  textbooks  of  our  Steam  Engineering  Course,  but  he  may  not 
wish  so  much.  We  provide  for  this  by  dividing  the  main  Course 
into  smaller  ones,  by  omitting  certain  subjects  and  making  others 
optional.  Later,  if  he  wishes  to  study  a  more  extensive  Course, 
we  transfer  him  to  the  Course  he  selects. 

You  will  perceive  from  the  foregoing  that  all  our  Courses  are 
special  Courses.  Our  plan  is  to  give  every  student  exactly  what 
he  wants,  and  to  prepare  our  textbooks  in  such  manner  that  he 
can  obtain  the  information  he  desires  in  the  shortest  possible 
time.  Each  Course  thus  has  its  own  series  of  textbooks,  written 
especially  for  it  and  adapted  to  it.  This  alone,  however,  would  not 
be  sufficient  to  account  for  the  popularity  of  I.  C.  S.  Textbooks. 

Clear  and  Concise 

In  addition,  we  aim  to  make  them  so  clear  that  they  cannot 
be  misunderstood  by  any  one  of  average  intelligence,  and  to  make 
all  explanations  so  full  as  not  to  force  the  student  to  ask  any 


80 


questions  or  to  leave  anything  for  him  to  infer.  In  other  words, 
we  endeavor  to  anticipate  all  his  difficulties,  and  we  make  use 
of  every  device  the  author,  printer,  and  draftsman  can  think  of 
in  making  the  text  and  explanations  clear.  The  author  keeps 
constantly  in  mind  the  fact  that  there  will  be  some  student  study- 
ing his  book  who  cannot  get  assistance  from  any  one,  except  by 
writing  to  the  Schools,  and  then  it  may  take  six  months  to  get  an 
answer,  in  the  case  of  a  foreign  student.  The  regular  textbook, 
on  the  contrary,  is  written  with  the  expectation  that  it  is  to  be 
studied  under  the  direct  supervision  of  a  teacher,  to  whom  the 
student  can  refer  in  all  cases  of  doubt  or  difficulty;  in  addition, 
it  usually  demands  original  work  on  the  part  of  the  student. 

I  can  make  myself  clearer  by  citing  a  specific  case.  I  recall 
that  about  ten  or  eleven  years  ago  one  of  our  writers  had  occasion 
to  describe  how  drawings  and  maps  are  colored,  and  gave  some  of 
the  leading  color  combinations,  such  as,  that  yellow  and  blue 
make  green,  etc.  I  had  never  done  any  work  of  this  kind,  so 
I  asked  him  if  one  color  was  ground  in  water,  like  India  ink,  and 
then  the  other  color  ground  in  until  the  desired  secondary  color 
was  obtained,  or  if  the  colors  were  ground  separately  and  mixed. 
I  further  stated  that  I  couldn't  see  how  the  exact  shade  wanted 
could  be  obtained.  He  said  "0!  no!  that  is  not  the  way:  you 
paint  one  color  on,  and  then  you  paint  the  other  one  over  it." 
I  am  sure  that  would  never  have  occurred  to  me  from  anything 
I  had  ever  read.  I  was  quite  interested,  and  asked  him  if  it  made 
any  difference  which  color  was  applied  first.  He  said  "No!" 
I  then  told  him  to  put  in  his  manuscript  what  he  had  just  been 
telling  me,  as  most  of  the  students  who  studied  his  book  would 
be  fully  as  ignorant  as  I  had  been. 

Issued  in  Two  Forms 

Before  proceeding  further,  it  should  be  explained  that  I.  C.  S. 
textbooks  are  issued  in  two  forms.  First,  as  pamphlets,  bound  in 
paper  covers,  and  averaging  about  sixty  pages  each,  which  we  call 
Instruction  Papers;  these  are  sent  to  the  student,  one  at  a  time, 
to  study  from  as  he  proceeds  with  his  Course.  Second,  in  volumes 
averaging  about  five  hundred  and  fifty  pages  each,  and  bound  in 
half  leather  and  cloth.  The  number  of  Instruction  Papers  now 
in  use  or  being  prepared  is  about  two  thousand. 

We  have  two  reasons  for  issuing  the  Instruction  Papers  and 
for  limiting  them  to  such  a  small  number  of  pages:  First,  they 
are  light  and  easily  carried,  and  the  student  can  study  them  at 


81 


any  time  and  anywhere;  the  second,  and  principal,  reason  is  that 
the  student  is  far  more  likely  to  complete  a  subject  or  his  Course 
if  the  Papers  are  short.  He  finishes  studying  a  Paper  before  his 
mind  has  become  confused  over  the  multiplicity  of  new  ideas 
presented  to  him,  and  writes  his  answers  to  the  examination 
questions.  He  thus  comes  into  early  and  frequent  contact  with 
the  Schools,  gets  encouragement,  and  receives  help  and  sugges- 
tions that  are  of  great  value  in  connection  with  his  studies.  To 
appreciate  fully  the  work  we  are  doing,  it  is  necessary  to  keep 
in  mind  that  in  addition  to  teaching  a  student  the  subjects  included 
in  his  Course,  we  are  almost  invariably  compelled  to  train  him  in 
the  study  habit.  We  cannot  compel  him  to  study,  and  can  only 
encourage  him  to  keep  on  by  giving  him  what  he  wants  and  making 
everything  as  easy  as  possible.  That  short  Papers  are  a  source 
of  great  encouragement  to  the  student  has  been  demonstrated 
many  times. 

A  striking  example  is  found  in  the  subject  of  algebra.  For- 
merly, we  included  in  one  Paper,  covering  about  one  hundred  and 
forty  pages,  this  subject  and  the  use  of  the  logarithmic  table.  The 
students  had  so  much  trouble  with  it  that  we  put  logarithms  in  a 
separate  Paper  and  divided  the  remainder  into  two  parts  of  sixty 
pages  each.  A  few  years  later  we  redivided  it  so  that  we  had  six 
parts  instead  of  two.  A  far  greater  percentage  of  students  com- 
plete this  work  now  than  when  it  was  comprised  in  three  Papers; 
and  a  greater  percentage  completed  it  then  than  when  it  was  com- 
prised in  one  Paper,  yet  the  text  itself  is  practically  unchanged. 

The  reason  that  we  send  the  student  an  extra  set  of  textbooks 
in  volume  form  is  that  he  may  have  them  to  refer  to  either  before 
or  after  he  has  completed  his  studies.  This  is  a  valuable  feature, 
since  by  reason  of  the  manner  in  which  it  is  prepared,  the  I.  C.  S. 
textbook  is  the  best  obtainable  for  ready  reference  on  the  subjects 
of  which  it  treats. 

Practical  Examples 

Our  textbooks  differ  from  regular  textbooks  in  still  another 
important  respect.  The  illustrative  examples,  the  examples  for 
practice,  and  the  examination  questions  relate  in  so  far  as  is  pos- 
sible to  matters  with  which  the  student  is  familiar,  or  with  which 
he  will  become  familiar  when  he  applies  in  practice  the  knowledge 
he  has  gained  from  his  studies.  Each  rule  or  formula  is  illustrated 
as  soon  as  stated  by  one  or  more  problems,  the  solutions  of  which 
are  given,  showing  its  application. 


82 


For  instance,  suppose  the  Course  is  Steam  Engineering  and  tlie 
student  is  studying  mensuration.  In  its  proper  place  a  segment  of 
a  circle  is  defined  and  a  formula  is  given  for  finding  the  area. 
Among  the  examples  which  illustrate  the  application  of  the  lormula 
is  one  containing  a  cut  showing  a  return-tubular  boiler  having  a 
cylindrical  shell,  and  the  example  relates  to  the  calculation  of  the 
steam  space  above  the  normal  water  level ;  also  to  the  amount  and 
weight  of  the  water  and  to  the  heating  surface  of  the  tubes.  The 
student  thus  learns  something  of  direct  benefit  to  him,  is  kept 
interested,  and  is  encouraged  to  keep  up  his  studies.  It  is  obvious 
that  a  problem  of  this  kind  would  be  entirely  unsuited  to  a  student 
in  the  School  of  Architecture,  so  we  prepare  for  those  students 
another  Paper  on  mensuration  in  which  the  examples,  etc.,  relate 
to  architectural  subjects,  and  similarly  for  other  Courses. 

That  this  feature  is  very  important,  is  shown  in  various  ways, 
and  particularly  with  those  subjects  in  connection  with  which  it 
is  hardly  possible  to  give  practical  examples  and  problems;  as,  for 
instance,  algebra,  logarithms,  formulas,  etc.  The  Paper  on  for- 
mulas covers  only  eleven  pages,  and  while  we  have  done  every- 
thing we  could  to  make  it  easily  understood  our  students  have  a 
great  deal  of  trouble  with  it.  The  reasons  are  that  it  comes  between 
arithmetic  and  mensuration,  the  subject  is  new  to  the  student,  and 
he  takes  little  interest  in  it,  for  the  lack  of  concrete  examples  and 
problems. 

Omission  of  Demonstrations 

Perhaps  the  most  noticeable  difference  between  I.  C.  S.  text- 
books and  regular  textbooks  is  the  omission  of  demonstrations. 
We  give,  what  is  in  our  opinion,  the  best  formula  to  employ  for  any 
particular  case;  we  tell  the  student  how  to  use  it,  and,  if  necessary, 
when  it  should  not  be  used ;  we  give  one  or  more  problems  of  the 
kind  that  would  naturally  occur  in  practice;  in  short,  we  give  him 
more  information  relating  to  the  use  of  that  formula  than  he  would 
be  likely  to  find  in  any  of  the  regular  textbooks — but  we  omit  its 
demonstration,  as  a  general  rule.  This  enables  us  to  cut  down 
the  amount  of  mathematics  required  to  the  lowest  practicable  limit ; 
it  enables  the  student  to  begin  the  study  of  the  technical  Papers 
very  early  in  his  Course;  and  it  permits  the  student  to  finish  his 
Course  in  the  shortest  period  of  time.  The  omission  of  demonstra- 
tions is  the  most  important  feature  of  the  I.  C.  S.  textbook  treat- 
ing on  science  or  technology,  and  is  the  predominating  reason 
for  its  popularity. 


83 


It  must  not  be  supposed  that  because  our  treatment  of  some 
subjects  is  very  much  attenuated  as  compared  with  regular  text- 
books that  this  is  always  the  case.  Frequently,  our  treatment 
is  very  much  fuller,  and  in  some  cases  the  information  contained 
in  our  textbooks  cannot  be  duplicated.  Two  examples  of  the  latter 
are  our  Papers  on  Malleable  Casting  and  on  Elevators.  When  the 
exigencies  of  the  case  demand  it,  even  those  subjects  whose  treat- 
ment is  most  curtailed  contain  a  very  full  treatment  in  many 
places.  For  example,  the  Arithmetics  used  in  various  engineering 
Courses  average  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  pages  each,  yet 
the  subject  of  evolution  is  treated  more  fully  than  in  any  other 
arithmetic.  The  Paper  on  Logarithms  gives  more  information  on 
the  use  of  the  logarithmic  table  than  any  book  I  have  ever  seen, 
and  one  of  our  students  who  has  finished  it  can  easily  work  prob- 
lems that  would  prove  very  troublesome  to  many  who  are  familiar 
with  derivation  of  the  logarithmic  series,  something  that  but  few 
of  our  students  have  ever  heard  of. 

Replete  With  Instructive  Illustrations 

This  Paper  would  be  incomplete  without  some  reference  to 
the  character  and  quality  of  our  illustrations.  All  our  illustra- 
tions are  intended  to  make  the  text  clear,  and  the  cuts  are  made 
by  our  own  draftsmen  and  illustrators  under  the  direct  super- 
vision of  the  author  or  editor  of  the  Paper  in  which  they  are  to 
be  used.  Our  Illustrating  Department  comprises  at  present  thirty 
men,  a  large  proportion  of  whom  were  previously  employed  in  the 
leading  engraving  houses.  The  drawings  are  all  made  keeping 
constantly  in  view  the  purpose  for  which  the  cut  is  to  be  used 
and  the  subject  to  be  illustrated.  Every  device  known  to  the 
draftsman  is  made  use  of  in  this  connection,  and  valuable  sugges- 
tions are  constantly  being  given  by  the  authors. 

As  an  example  of  the  thoroughness  with  which  the  work  is 
done,  I  would  call  your  attention  to  our  Papers  on  the  subject  of 
air  brakes  and  also  to  those  used  in  our  textile  Courses.  In  the 
case  of  the  air-brake  Papers,  we  received  full-sized  castings  from 
the  makers,  and  made  the  drawings  from  direct  measurements. 
In  the  case  of  the  textile  Papers,  we  sent  a  draftsman  to  New 
Bedford,  Massachusetts,  and  kept  him  there  several  months 
making  sketches  when  it  was  not  feasible  to  photograph  the 
complicated  machines  it  was  desired  to  illustrate.  We  are  willing 
to  go  to  any  length,  in  so  far  as  expense  is  concerned,  to  have  our 
illustrations  exactly  suited  to  the  text  and  to  render  them  more 
easily  understood  by  the  student. 


84 


How  I.  C.  S.  Textbooks  Are  Prepared 

The  manner  in  which  we  prepare  our  textbooks  is  about  as 
follows :  The  original  manuscript  is  written  by  some  one  employed 
in  our  Textbook  Department,  or,  in  many  cases,  by  some  one  not 
regularly  employed  by  us.  In  either  case,  after  the  manuscript 
is  written  it  is  reviewed  and  criticized  by  some  one  in  the  Textbook 
Department,  who  acts  as  editor.  It  not  infrequently  happens  that 
the  editor  rewrites  a  large  part  of  the  original  manuscript,  and, 
in  a  few  cases,  he  may  rewrite  it  completely.  The  manuscript 
is  then  read  over  very  carefully  by  a  second  editor  who  has  had 
experience  as  a  compositor  and  proof  reader  and  who  is  well  versed 
in  English  grammar  and  with  the  methods  employed  by  the  printer. 
If  there  are  calculations  in  the  Paper,  these  are  checked  by  still 
another  person  who  uses  a  calculating  machine  for  this  purpose. 
The  manuscript  is  then  sent  to  the  Illustrating  Department  and 
the  drawings  are  made  for  the  cuts. 

The  procedure  employed  in  connection  with  the  Paper  entitled 
Mechanical  Drawing  will  well  illustrate  our  system.  Recently,  we 
desired  to  revise  our  Paper  on  Mechanical  Drawing  and  we  con- 
tracted with  Mr.  John  Upp,  Engineer-in-Charge  of  the  Drafting 
Department  of  the  General  Electric  Company,  to  prepare  for  us 
a  new  Paper  on  this  subject.  In  addition  to  the  manuscript,  he 
was  to  furnish  drawings  to  be  used  in  illustrating  the  Paper  and 
also  a  set  of  drawings  suitable  for  use  in  connection  with  the  prepa- 
ration of  a  series  of  drawing  plates.  When  the  manuscript  was 
received  from  Mr.  Upp,  it  was  given  to  one  of  the  mechanical 
engineers  employed  in  the  Textbook  Department  who  rewrote  it 
from  beginning  to  end.  The  reason  for  this  was  that  the  manu- 
script, as  we  received  it,  was  not  suited  to  our  needs;  at  the  same 
time  it  contained  the  information  we  desired  in  the  preparation  of 
the  Paper  and  we  could  not  have  obtained  it  in  any  other  way. 
We  received  from  Mr.  Upp  a  manuscript  containing  the  latest  and 
best  modern  American  drafting-room  practice,  and  all  we  were 
required  to  do  was  to  recast  it  into  a  form  suitable  for  the  use  of 
our  students,  adding  such  details  as  the  author  had  omitted. 

Repeated  Careful  Editing 

When  the  manuscript  had  been  rewritten,  it  was  gone  over  by 
myself,  as  final  editor,  and  I  personally  rewrote  sections  of  it, 
checked  the  work  that  had  been  done,  and  gave  it  the  finishing 
touches.  It  was  then  sent  to  the  Illustrating  Department  and  the 
drawings  were  made  in  pencil,  after  which  the  manuscript  and 
drawings  were  forwarded  to  Mr.  Upp,  who  spent  several  weeks 


85 


going  over  the  whole  very  carefully.  He  had  a  large  number  of 
valuable  suggestions  to  offer,  and  I  went  to  Schenectady,  person- 
ally, to  see  him,  and  discussed  these  suggestions  with  him.  The 
changes  that  were  mutually  agreed  upon  were  made  on  my  return, 
the  drawings  were  inked  in  and  the  cuts  made.  The  manuscript 
was  then  sent  to  the  printer. 

Before  going  to  the  composing  room,  it  was  carefully  read  by 
proof  readers  who  checked  it  for  errors  in  grammar,  etc.,  and  who 
indicated  on  the  manuscript  the  kind  of  type,  sizes  of  headings, 
etc.  to  be  used,  for  the  guidance  of  the  compositor.  The  proof 
was  read  several  times  by  myself  and  also  by  the  person  who 
rewrote  the  original  manuscript,  and,  in  addition,  it  was  read 
several  times  in  the  proof-reading  department.  Although  the 
Paper  is  a  comparatively  long  one,  covering  more  than  160  pages, 
and  although  it  offered  almost  innumerable  chances  for  making 
errors,  the  work  was  so  carefully  done  that  but  one  or  two  errors 
have  been  detected  in  the  21  drawing  plates,  and  not  more  than 
three  or  four  in  the  text  matter. 

Frequent  Revision 

Another  extremely  important  feature  in  connection  with 
I.  C.  S.  textbooks  is  that  bearing  on  their  revision;  the  correction 
of  errors — both  of  the  author  and  the  printer — and  alterations  in 
the  text  made  necessary  by  reason  of  ambiguous  statements  or 
insufficient  explanations.  We  have  a  large  file  which  contains 
everything  in  the  line  of  printed  matter  used  by  our  students, 
each  page  being  pasted  separately  on  a  sheet  nine  inches  by  twelve 
inches  in  size.  If  any  error  is  detected  or  is  reported  by  a  student, 
it  is  noted  at  once  on  the  proper  page  in  the  file.  If  a  student  has 
difficulty  in  understanding  any  particular  explanation  or  state- 
ment and  the  difficulty  appears  to  be  due  to  the  manner  in  which 
the  text  was  written,  it  is  reported  to  the  person  responsible  for 
the  writing  or  revision  of  the  Paper.  He  then  makes  a  note  of  the 
matter  on  the  proper  page — or  on  a  separate  sheet,  which  is  filed 
adjacent  to  the  page  referred  to.  If  an  examination  question  gives 
trouble  to  any  considerable  number  of  students,  note  is  made  of 
this  fact  also,  and  the  text  is  carefully  examined  with  a  view  to 
altering  it  in  the  future,  if  deemed  advisable.  All  suggestions 
relating  to  improvements  or  additions  to  the  Instruction  Papers 
received  from  any  source,  whether  obtained  through  the  reading 
of  publications  of  the  technical  press  or  otherwise,  are  filed.  In 
short,  everything  that  may  be  of  assistance  to  the  person  having 
the  future  revision  in  charge  is  entered  in  this  file. 


86 


Why  Frequent  Revisions  Are  Necessary 

Regarding  the  revisions  themselves,  they  are  rendered  neces- 
sary through  various  causes.  Notwithstanding  the  great  pains  we 
take  and  our  long  experience,  it  is  practically  impossible  to  prepare 
a  set  of  textbooks  that  will  give  general  satisfaction  in  the  first 
instance.  We  cannot  foresee  the  difficulties  that  students  will 
encounter  and  we  are  likely  to  omit  certain  principles,  processes, 
etc.,  that  a  large  number  of  students  demand. 

As  a  notable  instance  of  this  I  cite  the  textbooks  on  Shop  Prac- 
tice. These  were  published  in  the  summer  of  1901,  there  being 
four  volumes.  In  less  than  a  year,  they  received  a  hasty  revision, 
and  in  two  years  from  the  time  they  were  first  issued  over  one-half 
the  original  text  had  been  rewritten  and  a  large  amount  of  new 
matter  added,  the  number  of  volumes  being  increased  from  four 
to  five. 

Again,  certain  volumes  describe  appliances  and  methods  that  are 
constantly  changing.  This  is  notably  the  case  in  connection  with 
textbooks  treating  on  electrical  engineering,  telephony,  air  brakes, 
and  locomotives.  We  are  providing  for  this  temporarily  by  issuing 
bulletins;  but  after  a  few  years,  these  become  insufficient  and  it 
is  then  necessary  to  rewrite  practically  the  entire  text. 

We  have  just  completed  the  rewriting  of  all  the  textbooks  used 
in  our  older  Courses  and  some  of  those  used  in  comparatively  new 
Courses,  which  are  now  rapidly  being  printed.  I  may  say  that  the 
revised  textbooks  cost,  on  an  average,  twice  as  much  as  the  original 
textbooks;  the  reason  for  this  is  that  the  textbooks  are  entirely 
rewritten,  they  cover  very  much  more  ground,  the  illustrations  are 
more  numerous  and  more  work  is  expended  on  them,  the  cost  of 
obtaining  the  information  is  higher,  and  the  cost  of  writing  and 
editing  is  also  higher. 

This,  in  brief,  is  an  explanation  of  some  of  the  more  marked 
differences  between  I.  C.  S.  textbooks  and  regular  textbooks.  I 
am  not  able  to  dwell  longer  on  the  subject,  for  want  of  time.  I  hope 
that  what  I  have  said  will  assist  you  in  grasping  the  details  of  our 
system  as  you  go  through  the  buildings  this  afternoon. 


87 


WILLIAM  B.  RIDENOUR,  A.  M. 


THE  I.  C.  S.  METHOD  OF  TEACHING 

WILLIAM  B.  RIDENOUR,  A.  M. 

Principal  School  of  Pedagogy,  International  Correspondence  Schools 

Nearly  one-half  a  century  ago  the  Merrimac  steamed  slowly 
down  from  Norfolk  and  attacked  the  federal  fleet  in  Hampton 
Roads.  In  this  fleet  were  the  frigates  Congress,  Cumberland, 
and  Minnesota,  which  could  easily  have  destroyed  the  magnificent 
armada  with  which  Nelson  at  Trafalgar  defeated  the  combined 
navies  of  France  and  Spain;  yet  against  the  monster  that  came 
upon  them  so  unexpectedly  they  were  helpless.  On  the  following 
morning,  the  Merrimac  returned  to  complete  the  ruin  she  had 
begun.  Confronted  by  the  Monitor,  prototype  of  the  steel-clad 
leviathans  of  today,  her  mission  was  speedily  ended. 

This  first  battle  of  the  ironclads  carried  consternation  to  all 
the  great  powers,  and  especially  to  England  whose  unrivaled 
fleets  for  more  than  two  centuries  had  been  queening  it  on  all  of  the 
seas  of  the  world.  Her  navy  was  now  shown  to  be  obsolete  and 
useless,  as  well  as  her  literature  on  the  science  of  marine  engineering. 

Such  readjustments  to  new  conditions  are  of  constant  occur- 
rence, and  serve  to  mark  our  progress  toward  the  time  when  man 
shall  be  in  complete  control  of  the  forces  of  nature.  All  high 
achievement  is  quickly  superseded  by  higher  achievement,  for 
man's  search  for  something  better — for  superlatives — is  unceasing. 
He  is  never  satisfied  with  what  he  has  attained.  From  every 
height  he  wins,  he  looks  and  yearns  toward  other  heights. 

Readjustments  In  Education 

With  this  progress  come  new  subdivisions  in  engineering,  in 
industry,  in  education.  Only  a  little  while  ago,  our  colleges  had 
no  technical  courses  worthy  of  the  name.  The  professions  then 
were  law,  medicine,  and  theology.  Civil  engineering  was  in  its 
infancy.  Its  subdivisions  into  many  related  branches — hydraulic, 
municipal,  railway,  bridge,  tunnel — had  scarcely  been  thought 
of  as  something  to  come.  When  the  Roeblings  proposed  to 
span  the  interspace  between  New  York  and  Brooklyn  with  the 
world's  first  suspension  bridge,  there  were  no  scientific  treatises 


89 


describing  the  methods  to  be  followed.  The  world  had  virtually 
nothing  on  applied  electricity  when  Edison  began  his  revolu- 
tionary work.  Since  that  time,  electricity  has  been  revealing  a 
knowledge  of  her  laws  to  the  prying  of  mathematics,  and  electrical 
engineering  has  now  many  subdivisions.  The  burrowings  under 
the  Hudson  have  shown  that  our  schools  of  technology  must  add 
to  their  curricula  a  course  on  modern  submarine  engineering. 
Our  colleges  used  to  attempt  nothing  more  than  to  furnish  the 
sons  of  the  wealthy  with  training  in  the  so-called  humanities, 
in  order  to  fit  them  for  one  or  other  of  the  only  three  professions 
that  a  gentleman  might  enter.  Neither  the  public  schools  nor  the 
colleges  made  provision  for  the  training  of  the  artisan.  For 
him,  there  was  only  the  apprentice  system.  Even  today,  the  same 
is  largely  true,  although  it  is  almost  axiomatic  that  the  brain  of 
the  engineer  avails  but  little  unless  supplemented  by  scientific 
skill  in  the  men  that  execute  his  plans.  Technical  fitness  in  the 
man  at  the  top  is  indispensable;  but  if  our  industrial  system  is 
to  be  of  the  first  rank,  it  will  not  do  to  ignore  the  needs  of  the  man 
below. 

Germany's  Technological  Education 

Germany  has  fully  realized  this  important  fact.  The  little  King- 
dom of  Saxony,  with  an  area  of  only  one-eighth  the  area  of  Penn- 
sylvania and  a  population  less  than  that  of  Illinois,  has  nearly  two 
thousand  men  in  the  great  technological  school  at  Dresden  preparing 
to  captain  her  industries.  She  has,  besides,  two  hundred  and  eighty- 
seven  industrial  schools,  all  aided  and  in  a  measure  controlled  by 
the  government,  where  both  practice  and  theory  in  any  one  of 
forty-four  technical  industries  may  be  obtained  by  the  poorest  boy. 
If  supremacy  in  the  commerce  of  the  world  is  a  prize  awaiting  the 
nation  that  has  the  best  system  of  technical  education,  the  example 
of  Germany  furnishes  a  lesson  for  the  rest  of  the  world.  Hemmed 
in  as  she  is,  her  marvelous  progress  proves  that  she  understands 
how  industrial  primacy  is  to  be  won.  Her  educators,  lawmakers, 
and  industrial  leaders  are  all  cooperating  with  her  far-seeing 
energetic  emperor  for  the  glory  and  prosperity  of  the  fatherland. 

In  a  recent  article,  the  London  Daily  Mail  says:  "There  can 
be  but  little  doubt  that  the  marvelous  expansion  of  German 
trade — one  of  the  notable  achievements  of  the  nineteenth  century 
— is  traceable  to  the  system  of  education  that  has  directed  all  the 
available  resources  of  scientific  knowledge  and  research  toward 
the  solution  of  industrial  problems  and  the  betterment  of  industrial 
methods.  Her  universities  no  longer  form  the  crown  of  her 


90 


educational  edifice.  In  her  polytechnic  schools,  the  keen  business 
man  with  sound  scientific  knowledge  is  today  receiving  his  training 
for  leadership.  Her  chemists,  and  her  civil,  mechanical,  and 
mining  engineers  are  preparing  there  for  the  problems  of  business 
life  by  acquiring  a  thorough  practical  and  technical  knowledge. 
To  make  the  training  of  these  men  effective  for  developing  the 
resources  of  the  empire,  hundreds  of  industrial  schools  are  turning 
out  tens  of  thousands  of  skilled  helpers  for  these  men  of  higher 
equipment." 

In  this  age  of  machinery  and  invention,  what  part  is  our  own 
country  playing  in  this  readjustment  of  educational  ideals  ?  It  has 
forty-three  schools  of  technology,  only  a  few  of  which  are  of  high 
rank.  Many  of  our  colleges  and  universities  have  technical  courses 
but  in  most  of  them  these  courses  are  treated  as  of  secondary 
importance.  They  have  only  21,000  technical  students.  Of  indus- 
trial schools  for  training  the  artisan,  there  are  few.  For  each 
100,000  of  population,  our  country  has  173  physicians,  142  lawyers, 
104  saloon  keepers,  and  only  10  electrical,  8  mechanical,  and 
4  mining  engineers. 

Need  for  Correspondence  Industrial  University 

In  view  of  these  conditions,  is  it  any  wonder  that  the  Inter- 
national Correspondence  Schools,  in  their  brief  existence,  have 
enrolled  more  than  eight  times  as  many  students  as  are  in  all 
our  colleges,  universities,  and  schools  of  technology?  Only  forty- 
five  per  cent,  of  the  colleges  have  an  attendance  in  excess  of  our 
daily  enrolment — 360  students.  Harvard  University,  founded 
270  years  ago,  has  sent  out  28,000  graduates.  In  fifteen  years, 
85,000  students  of  our  institution  have  actually  finished  th'eir 
Courses  and  received  their  Diplomas,  or  they  have  virtually  done 
so;  and  225,000  other  students  have  completed  the  mathematics, 
physics,  and  drawing  that  form  the  broad  and  safe  foundation  on 
which  every  one  of  our  technical  Courses  rests. 

That  this  great  industrial  university  is  needed  has  been  demon- 
strated by  its  marvelous  prosperity,  by  the  indorsements  it  has  won 
from  the  heads  of  great  industries,  from  the  chiefs  of  government 
departments,  from  prominent  educators,  from  presidents  and 
professors  in  scores  of  our  best  colleges,  and  from  thousands  of 
thinkers  on  economics.  For  fifteen  years,  the  Schools  have  been 
in  the  white  light  under  the  sharp  scrutiny  of  watchful  eyes — eyes 
quick  to  distinguish  that  which  is  from  that  which  only  seems. 
From  students,  too,  have  come  letters,  almost  beyond  counting, 


91 


filled  with  the  story  of  what  we  have  done  for  them,  with  admis- 
sions of  indebtedness  that  cannot  be  discharged,  with  assurances 
of  enduring  gratitude  and  friendship.  And  during  all  these  years, 
there  has  been  no  waning  of  prosperity;  what  was  at  first  only  an 
experiment  has  become  an  institution — something  that  rests 
upon  the  solid  rock  of  public  confidence. 

To  insure  the  prosperity  of  any  great  enterprise,  appropriate 
means  must  be  used.  You  have  already  learned  that  the  success 
of  the  Schools  is  owing  in  large  measure  to  our  textbooks.  These 
books  are  unique  in  many  respects — in  their  simplicity  and  com- 
prehensiveness, in  their  diction,  in  their  illustrations,  in  the  ease 
with  which  they  can  be  learned,  and  in  the  fact  that  they  contain 
just  the  theory  needed  in  practice  and  no  more.  Perhaps,  their 
most  remarkable  feature  is  their  perfect  adaptation  to  the  I.  C.  S. 
method  of  teaching,  to  explain  which  is  the  principal  purpose  of 
this  paper. 

Men  Trained  for  Work  at  Work 

This  method  of  teaching  was  devised  for  following  the  student 
from  the  schoolroom  into  the  workshop,  and  training  him  for  his 
work  at  his  work.  By  a  slow  process  of  evolution,  its  faults  have 
been  corrected  and  its  details  adapted  to  the  needs  of  the  student, 
until  it  has  reached  a  degree  of  effectiveness  little  inferior  to  the 
methods  of  the  classroom.  Beginning  with  a  single  Course  intended 
to  teach  the  theory  and  practice  of  coal  mining,  the  work  has  grown 
until  it  includes  more  than  two  hundred  Courses  in  engineering  and 
the  mechanical  and  manual  industries.  Until  this  method  had 
been  wrought  into  practical  perfection,  educators  were  agreed  that 
the  functions  of  the  teacher  must  cease  for  the  student  when  he 
leaves  school  and  enters  the  workshop.  This  institution  has  demon- 
strated the  feasibility  of  industrial  training  for  industrial  workers 
— of  education  in  the  scientific  theory  and  practice  of  their  chosen 
pursuits;  it  has  shown  the  possibility  of  giving  them,  while 
pursuing  their  studies,  supervision  and  assistance  such  that  their 
teacher  shall  seem  almost  as  real,  as  helpful,  and  as  accessible  as 
if  teacher  and  pupil  were  actually  together  in  the  schoolroom. 

The  word  teaching  implies  several  distinct  things: 

1.  Some  one  to  be  instructed  or  taught — a  student  or  learner. 

2.  Some  matter  or  subject  to  be  imparted. 

3.  A  teacher  to  plan  or  supervise  the  instruction. 

4.  A  rational  plan  of  procedure  called  a  Method  of  Teaching. 
These  will  now  be  considered. 


92 


Millions  in  Need  of  Instruction 

1.  The  Student.— The  urgent  need  that  countless  multitudes 
have  for  education  is  no  longer  denied.     Statistics  show  that  with 
a  population  of  more  than  81,000,000,  our  country  has  only  118,000 
students  in  its  colleges,  universities,  and  schools  of  technology, 
and  822,000  in  its  high  and  preparatory  schools.     A  great  army 
of    children,    numbering    nearly    17,000,000,    is    enrolled    in    the 
elementary  schools.     Of  the  elementary  students,  about  850,000 
reach  the  grade  next   below  the   high   school.     In   other  words, 
only  about   1  per  cent,  of  our  population  advance  far  enough  to 
have,  at  the  end  of  their  school  life,  a  fair  mastery  of  fractions. 

There  is,  therefore,  no  lack  of  those  that  need  education.  They 
are  around  us  by  millions — in  the  mill,  the  workshop,  the  office 
— and  everywhere  handicapped  and  poorly  paid  by  reason  of 
deficient  education.  They  are  painfully  conscious  of  this  deficiency, 
and  yet  are  without  the  ability,  unaided,  to  find  a  remedy.  The 
needs  of  these  persons  demand  that  technical  education  shall 
be  obtainable  outside  the  classroom.  To  meet  this  demand, 
the  founder  of  the  Schools  devised  and  elaborated  a  method  of 
teaching  the  science  needed  in  engineering  and  the  industries. 
To  give  these  myriads  the  education  they  require,  to  make  it  easy 
of  attainment,  to  fit  them  for  the  requirements  of  life,  has  been 
the  hitherto  unsolved  problem  for  the  educator. 

Education  for  Practical  Usefulness 

2.  The    Subjects    to    be    Taught. — A    condition    indispensable 
to  success  in  training  men  for  the  crafts  is  the  proper  selection  and 
arrangement  of  the  matter  to  be  taught.     The  curricula  of  the 
colleges  and  ordinary  schools  were  intended  for  another  purpose; 
their  principal  work  has  been  to  develop  the  mental  faculties  in 
general — to  strengthen  the  judgment,  cultivate  the  reason,  refine 
the  taste,  sharpen  the  powers  of  observation,  enrich  and  discipline 
the  memory,  quicken  the  powers  of  analysis,  and  give  increased 
keenness  to  the  faculties  that  discriminate.     Their  work  is  largely 
one  of  mental  gymnastics.     When  this  training  is  supplemented 
and  rounded  out  by  a  thorough  technical  training  in  some  practical 
pursuit,  the  result  is  an  ideal  education. 

Few  persons,  however,  can  get  both  of  these  phases  of  educa- 
tion— the  liberal  and  the  lucrative,  the  theoretical  and  the  practical, 
the  disciplinary  and  the  technical.  He  that  must  begin  early  to 
earn  his  living  needs  an  education  for  practical  usefulness,  not  for 
liberal  culture.  The  former  he  can  get  quickly ;  the  latter  requires 


93 


years  of  costly  training.  His  studies  must  be  radically  different 
from  those  pursued  in  the  schools  and  colleges.  He  must  omit 
abstract  theory  and  must  deal  as  far  as  possible  with  the  practical. 
His  studies  must  relate  to  one  trade  or  occupation,  and  must  present 
its  working  essentials  in  the  simplest  manner  possible;  they  must 
equip  him  with  aptitudes  that  command  good  pay,  and  for  which 
there  is  a  wide  demand.  To  meet  these  indispensable  conditions, 
each  I.  C.  S.  Course  is  a  simple,  complete,  and  practical  exposition 
of  some  industrial  specialty. 

Functions  of  the  Teacher 

3.  The  Teacher. — There  are  many  methods  of  procedure  in 
imparting  instruction,  but  the  best  is  undoubtedly  that  in  which 
there  is  an  actual  personal  teacher.  Indeed,  the  teacher  is  a 
factor  that  can  never  be  wholly  eliminated.  His  functions  are 
many  and  varied,  the  most  important  of  them  being  the  following: 

(a)  To  advise  concerning  the  kind  and  quality  of  training 
required  for  a  given  purpose. 

In  education  for  discipline  alone,  the  teacher  or  educator  is 
perhaps  the  best  judge  of  the  needs  of  the  student.  But  if  the 
training  is  to  fit  the  student  for  some  technical  occupation,  the 
advice  of  experts  both  in  the  theory  and  the  practice  of  that  occu- 
pation will  be  indispensable.  Neither  a  mere  theorist  nor  a  practical 
expert  should  be  permitted  alone  to  say  what  should  be  contained 
in  a  course  intended  to  prepare  the  student  for  technical  or  engi- 
neering work.  Advice  of  both  kinds  is  requisite — conjoint  advice 
by  the  men  that  know  the  scientific  why  and  the  men  that  know 
the  practical  how.  The  policy  of  the  Schools  is  to  have  at  the  head 
of  its  teaching  staff  men  strong  both  in  theory  and  in  practice. 

Student  Prepared  Step  by  Step 

(6)     To  apportion  to  the  student  his  lessons. 

Our  method  of  teaching  involves  the  subdivision  of  the  student's 
work  into  many  short,  easily  mastered  lessons.  They  are  sent  to 
him  in  a  fixed  order.  Should  he  be  required  to  master  a  volume 
of  several  hundred  pages  for  each  of  the  many  subjects  included 
in  his  Course,  discouraged  by  the  magnitude  of  his  task  he  would 
give  up  at  once.  His  work  for  six  months  or  one  year  includes  an 
intimidating  array  of  formulas,  technical  difficulties  and  mysteries 
of  many  kinds,  and  they  would  inevitably  turn  him  from  his  pur- 
pose. But  the  difficulties  that  so  disconcert  the  untrained  student 
are  only  imaginary;  if  taken  in  proper  order  and  mastered  one  by 


94 


one  they  are  simple  and  easy.  Hence,  two  of  our  principles  of 
teaching  are, 

Never  confront  a  student  with  an  unnecessary  difficulty. 

Prepare  him  for  the  next  stage  of  his  work  before  he  knows  what  it 
is  to  be. 

A  good  illustration  of  the  ability  to  do  that  comes  from  doing 
— the  access  of  strength,  mental  and  physical,  that  exercise  gives 
— is  found  in  the  story  told  by  Cicero  concerning  Milo,  the  strong 
man  of  Crotona.  The  athlete  expressed  the  wish  that  he  were 
able  to  carry  a  live  bull.  He  was  advised  to  carry  a  calf  every 
day  until  it  was  full-grown.  He  did  so,  and  his  strength  increased 
with  the  need  for  it. 

Direction  and  Encouragement 

(c)     To  direct,  aid,  and  encourage  the  student. 

The  ability  to  study  persistently  and  with  concentration  is 
an  attainment  that  comes  only  with  long  practice.  To  the  child, 
learning  has  no  charms  and  the  term  lesson  is  replete  with  dis- 
turbing associations.  In  consequence,  many  ingenious  methods 
have  been  devised  for  luring  the  beginner  onward  by  rewards,  and 
others  even  more  ingenious  for  driving  him. 

It  is  an  educational  axiom  that  during  the  early  years  of  mental 
training,  a  teacher  is  indispensable.  There  is  something  abnormal 
about  a  young  child  that  will  of  his  own  accord  seriously  devote 
himself  to  study.  Even  a  grown  person,  who  has  discovered  how 
sorely  he  needs  education,  and  who  has,  therefore,  a  motive  for 
study  that  a  child  has  not,  will  accomplish  much  more  with  aid, 
encouragement,  and  urging  by  a  teacher. 

How  Teaching  Is  Done  by  Mail 

Since  the  student  cannot  be  left  to  his  own  resources,  the 
closest  practicable  imitation  of  the  teacher's  functions  in  the 
schoolroom  must  be  realized  in  teaching  by  mail.  This,  the  Schools 
have  been  learning  to  do  more  and  more  successfully  year  by  year. 
Lesson  Papers  containing  examination  questions  are  sent  to 
the  student  at  intervals  and  in  a  fixed  order.  A  careful  record  is 
made  of  the  times  when  these  Papers  are  sent,  their  titles,  and 
every  other  fact  that  might  be  of  value  in  guiding  the  work  of  the 
Instructor.  All  letters  from  the  student  and  copies  of  all  letters 
sent  to  him  are  filed  so  as  to  be  instantly  accessible,  enabling  the 
Instructor  to  ascertain  quickly  the  salient  points  in  the  student's 
character — whether  he  is  bright,  or  dull;  painstaking  or  careless; 


95 


patient  and  plodding,  or  easily  discouraged.  The  work  done  on 
each  Paper,  the  amount  of  improvement,  the  faults  observed,  and 
all  other  data  of  importance  are  recorded.  It  is  possible,  there- 
fore, to  advise  him  as  wisely,  and  to  encourage  and  stimulate  him 
as  effectively  as  if  he  and  his  teacher  were  together.  And  since 
all  aid,  admonition,  criticism,  and  communication  of  every  kind 
are  by  correspondence,  there  is  little  occasion  for  the  loss  of 
temper,  the  impatience,  or  the  partiality  that  so  frequently 
impairs  the  teacher's  usefulness. 

Should  a  student  prove  to  be  slow  or  dull,  he  is  put  under  the 
care  of  some  peculiarly  skilful  Instructor  in  the  Special  Instruction 
Department,  to  whom  the  records  and  correspondence  relating  to 
him  are  referred.  Henceforward,  he  is  looked  after  by  that 
Instructor,  whose  standing  and  salary  are  greatly  dependent 
on  his  success  with  such  students. 

Painstaking  Oversight  of  Study 

This  aid  and  oversight  must  be  as  patient,  as  painstaking,  and 
as  thorough  as  could  be  exemplified  by  the  most  tireless  and  faithful 
teacher.  And  no  sins  of  omission  or  commission  in  subordinates 
are  punished  more  promptly  or  forgiven  more  reluctantly  than 
carelessness  or  laxity  in  observing  absolute  good  faith  toward  the 
student  and  loyalty  to  his  interests. 

(d)  To  test,  from  time  to  time,  the  thoroughness  of  the  student's 
mastery  of  subjects. 

"I  am  a  very  old  examiner"  says  Professor  Huxley,  "having 
for  some  twenty  years  past  been  occupied  with  examinations  on 
a  considerable  scale,  of  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men,  and  women 
too — from  the  boys  and  girls  of  elementary  schools  to  the  candi- 
dates for  honors  and  fellowships  in  the  universities.  My  admira- 
tion for  the  existing  system  of  examination  does  not  wax  warmer 
as  I  see  more  of  it  ...  I  am  not  alone  in  this  opinion.  Experi- 
enced friends  of  mine  say  that  students  whose  careers  they  watch 
appear  to  them  to  become  deteriorated  by  the  constant  effort  to 
pass  this  or  that  examination.  They  work  to  pass,  not  to  know; 
and  outraged  science  takes  her  revenge.  They  do  pass,  but  they 
do  not  know." 

These  criticisms  are  undoubtedly  warranted  by  the  facts.  The 
daily  press  tells  us  frequently  of  ruined  health,  wrecked  nerves, 
insanity,  and  even  suicide  caused  by  hard  study,  late  hours,  and 
tremendous  mental  stress  and  anxiety  in  "cramming  for  examina- 
tion." And  even  when  the  student  succeeds  in  passing,  "  he  doesn't 
know." 


96 


Aim  of  Examinations 

The  method  practiced  by  our  Schools  is  not  open  to  these  criti- 
cisms. An  extended  experience  has  shown  that  while  it  reveals  to 
the  Instructor  everything  that  he  seeks  to  ascertain  by  it,  it  is  at 
the  same  time  beneficial  to  the  student. 

In  our  practice,  examinations  are  designed  to  furnish  answers 
to  the  following  questions: 

1.  Has  the  student,  by  a  proper  mastery  of  his  studies,  received 
the  benefit  to  which  he  is  entitled? 

2.  Is  this  mastery  such  as  to  warrant  the  Schools  in  certify- 
ing to  the  student's  competency  ? 

A  person  that  has  our  Diploma  certifying  that  he  has  properly 
finished  a  certain  Course  is  a  custodian  ever  afterwards  of  the  good 
name  of  the  Schools.  His  subsequent  success  helps,  and  his  failure 
hurts,  them.  A  thorough  examination,  therefore,  is  due  both  to 
him  and  the  institution  whose  reputation  depends  so  largely  upon 
the  character  of  the  work  it  has  done  for  him. 

Now,  if  this  examination  can  be  made  to  answer  these  questions 
with  certainty,  and  at  the  same  time  be  to  the  student  a  source 
not  only  of  further  profit  but  also  of  pleasure,  its  highest  conceiv- 
able purpose  will  be  served.  All  these  ends  we  believe  are  realized 
by  our  method. 

How  Students  Are   Examined 

With  each  lesson  pamphlet  are  sent  examination  questions 
relating  to  its  contents.  The  questions  are  usually  numerous,  cov- 
ering every  point  of  importance.  There  are,  however,  no  questions 
intended  merely  to  puzzle  the  student  without  instructing  him. 
The  examination  is  intended  to  be  a  minute  and  thorough  review. 
The  questions  are  so  worded  that  the  exact  language  of  the  text 
cannot  be  used  in  answering  them.  The  effort  both  in  thought 
and  expression  has  the  effect  of  graving  the  matter  deep  in  the 
memory.  The  test  is  without  hurry ;  it  may  require  the  student's 
spare  time  for  a  month  or  more.  He  escapes  the  usual  fear  of 
forgetting  just  at  the  critical  moment.  His  Instruction  Paper  is 
constantly  with  him  to  refresh  his  memory.  After  studying  some 
difficult  point  over  and  over,  if  he  cannot  master  it,  he  may  sus- 
pend his  work  and  write  to  his  teacher  for  assistance.  And  when 
finally  he  has  finished  his  examination,  what  he  has  accomplished 
is  something  to  be  proud  of — many  pages  of  manuscript  having 
the  double  value  of  a  test  in  his  studies  and  an  exercise  in  com- 
position. He  sends  his  completed  work  for  correction.  This  duty 
of  his  Instructor  must  be  thoroughly  and  minutely  performed. 


97 


Errors  in  statement,  as  well  as  in  spelling,  punctuation,  grammar, 
penmanship,  and  composition  must  be  pointed  out  and  explained, 
and  the  per  cent,  value  marked.  This  is  required  to  be  high — not 
less  than  ninety — since  the  student  may  ascertain  the  correct 
answer  to  every  question.  Careless  and  inaccurate  work  is  rejected 
and  must  be  done  again  and  again  until  it  meets  the  requirements 
of  the  Schools. 

Great  care  is  taken  in  the  employment  and  promotion  of 
Instructors,  all  of  whom  are  required  to  begin  in  the  School  of 
Mathematics.  Applicants  are  admitted  to  the  eligible  list  after 
examination  in  arithmetic,  algebra,  geometry,  mensuration,  trigo- 
nometry, and  logarithms.  After  appointment,  the  Instructor  is 
expected  to  master  a  technical  Course  and  pass  a  searching  exam- 
ination on  its  contents.  Increase  in  salary  is  dependent  on  the 
thoroughness  with  which  this  work  is  done.  Merit  is  the  only 
recognized  test  of  fitness  for  promotion. 

The  student  is  encouraged  in  every  possible  manner  to  persist 
in  his  studies.  If  within  two  months  after  enrolment  he  has  sent 
no  Papers  for  correction,  a  letter  is  written  urging  him  to  diligence. 
If  at  the  end  of  a  year  he  has  sent  no  work,  he  hears  again  from 
his  Instructor.  The  intention  of  the  management  is  that  if  he 
derives  no  profit  from  his  Course,  the  fault  shall  be  his  own. 

Students'  Aid  Department 

Connected  with  the  Schools  is  the  Students'  Aid  Department, 
the  work  of  which  has  developed  into  one  of  great  importance  and 
magnitude.  Its  duty  is  to  report  to  employers  the  standing  and 
progress  of  such  of  our  students  as  are  in  their  employ,  and  to 
recommend  suitable  persons  for  places  that  are  reported  to  us  by 
employers  who  ask  our  aid  in  filling  them.  The  heads  of  great 
industrial  plants  are  learning  that  when  they  need  men  to  do 
specific  work  they  should  apply  to  the  institutions  that  educate 
such  men  rather  than  to  employment  agencies.  During  the  last 
fiscal  year,  this  department  of  the  Schools  has  rendered  assistance 
in  increasing  the  salaries  and  securing  the  promotion  of  over 
twenty  thousand  students  and  has  recommended  to  new  positions 
nearly  one  thousand  per  month. 

In  these  and  many  other  ways,  this  institution  has  slowly  won 
the  confidence  of  the  general  public  and  the  friendship  of  the  men 
at  the  head  of  the  great  industries — an  asset  that  will  be  inde- 
feasible as  long  as  the  policy  of  the  management  continues  to  be 
what  it  has  been  up  to  the  present  time — inflexible  honesty  and 
fair  dealing  with  all. 


98 


AT  INSTRUCTION  BUILDING 


The  afternoon  was  devoted  to 
a  reception  of  guests  at  the 
Instruction  Building.  For  con- 
venient inspection  the  work  of 
the  various  Schools  and  Depart- 
ments was  arranged  in  separate 
exhibits. 


99 


EXHIBITS 


EXHIBITS  OF  DEPARTMENTS 

INSPIRATIONAL  PUBLICITY  ILLUSTRATING  DEPARTMENT 

INSPIRATIONAL  WINDOW  DISPLAYS  TECHNICAL  SUPPLY  COMPANY 

I.  C.  S.  MESSENGER  TEXTBOOK  DEPARTMENT 


EXHIBITS  OF  SCHOOLS 

ARCHITECTURE  LETTERING  AND  SIGN  PAINTING 

ARTS  AND  CRAFTS  MARINE  ENGINEERING 

ARCHITECTURAL  DRAWING  MATHEMATICS 

CHEMISTRY  MECHANICAL  DRAWING 

CIVIL  ENGINEERING  MECHANICAL  ENGINEERING 

CIVIL  SERVICE  METAL  MINING 

COMMERCE  NAVIGATION 

COAL  MINING  RAILWAY  DEPARTMENT 

ELECTRICAL  ENGINEERING  SANITARY  ENGINEERING 

ENGLISH  BRANCHES  STEAM  ENGINEERING 

LANGUAGES  SHOP  AND  FOUNDRY  PRACTICE 
TELEPHONE   AND  TELEGRAPH   ENGINEERING 


100 


INTERNATIONAL 
CORRESPONDENCE  SCHOOLS 


FIFTEENTH  ANNIVERSARY  OF  THE 
FOUNDING  OF  THE  INTERNATIONAL 
CORRESPONDENCE  SCHOOLS 


HELD    IN    THE 


13TH  REGIMENT,  N.  G.  P.,  ARMORY 
SCRANTON,  PA. 

OCTOBER  SIXTEENTH,  NINETEEN-SIX 


WILLIAM  L.  CONNELL,  Chairman 


Guests  to  the  number  of  about  700  occupied  banquet  tables  covering  more  than  half  the  drill  floor  of  the 
Thirteenth  Regiment,  N.  G.  P.,  Armory,  which  was  converted  into  a  vast  dining  hall,  hung  with  the  national 
colors  and  with  white,  blue,  purple,  and  orange  bunting  covering  the  walls  and  ceiling  and  hanging  in  great 
streamers  and  festoons.  The  illumination  was  from  frequently  changed  white  and  colored  arc  lights  of  great  power, 
and  moving  displays  of  flowers  and  butterflies  appeared  on  the  curtain  forming  one  side  of  the  room.  The  occasion 
was  enlivened  with  musical  selections  by  Bauer's  Orchestra  and  by  vocal  selections  by  Arthur  T.  Baker,  of  New 
York,  in  which  the  banqueters  frequently  joined.  The  gallery  overlooking  the  scene  was  occupied  by  several 
hundred  lady  friends  and  relatives  of  the  banqueters. 


101 


ANNIVERSARY  BANQUET 


MENU 


BLUE  POINTS 


GREEN  TURTLE  SOUP 
SALTED  ALMONDS  CELERY 


BOILED  SALMON 
SAUCE  HOLLANDAISE  CUCUMBERS 


FILET  DE  BOEUF  A  LA  FRANSAISE 

PETITS  Pois 
POMMES  DE  TERRE  DUCHESSE 


TERRAPIN  A  LA  PHILADELPHIA 


ROMAN  PUNCH 


SQUAB  CHICKEN 
CURRANT  JELLY  LETTUCE  SALAD 


ICE  CREAM 
FRUITS  GLACES  FANCY  CAKES 

MERINGUES 
CHEESE  AND  CRACKERS 

FRUIT 


COFFEE 

CIGARS  AND  CIGARETTES 
ROSBACH  WATER 


Catering  by  John  C.  Trower,  Philadelphia 
102 


ANNIVERSARY  BANQUET 

Seated  at  the  Speakers'  Table  were  the  following 
Guests  of  Honor 


Toastmaster 

HOMER  GREENE,  LITT.  D. 
Author — Attorney- at-Law,  Honesdale,  Pa. 


THOMAS  J.  FOSTER 

President  of  the  International  Textbook 
Company,  Scranton,  Pa. 

NATHAN  C.  SCHAEFFER,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction 
for  Pennsylvania,  Harrisburg,  Pa. 

HON.  H.  M.  EDWARDS 

President  Judge  of  Lackawanna  County 
Courts,  Scranton,  Pa. 

WILLIAM  L.  CONNELL 

Director  of  the  International  Textbook  Com- 
pany— Capitalist — Ex-Mayor  of  Scranton, 
Scranton,  Pa. 

COL.  HUGH  L.  SCOTT,  U.  S.  A. 

Superintendent  of  the  United  States  Mili- 
tary Academy,  West  Point,  N.  Y. 

CYRUS  D.  JONES 

Director  oj  the  International  Textbook 
Company — President  Peoples  National 
Bank — Scranton,  Pa. 

REV.  JOSEPH  H.  ODELL,  D.  D. 

Pastor  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church, 
Scranton,  Pa. 

RT.  REV.  ETHELBERT  TALBOT,  D.  D., 
LL.  D. 

Bishop  (Protestant  Episcopal)  of  Central 
Pennsylvania,  S.  Bethlehem,  Pa. 

THOMAS  E.  JONES 

Director  of  the  International  Textbook  Com- 
pany— Capitalist,  Scranton,  Pa. 

CHARLES  S.  HOWE,  Ph.  D. 

President  of  the  Case  School  of  Applied 
Science,  Cleveland,  O. 

GEN.  OSCAR  F.  WILLIAMS 

Ex-Consul  General  at  Singapore,  Roches- 
ter, N.  Y. 


HON.  J.  BENJAMIN  DIMMICK 
Mayor  of  Scranton 

WILLIAM  KENT,  A.  M.,  M.  E. 

Dean  of  the  College  of  Applied  Science, 
Syracuse  University,  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

ELBERT  HUBBARD 

Editor  of  the  Philistine — Author  and 
Lecturer,  East  Aurora,  N.  Y. 

RUFUS  J.  FOSTER 

Vice- President  of  the  International  Text- 
book Company,  Scranton,  Pa. 

JOHN  MITCHELL 

President  of  the  United  Mine  Workers  of 
America,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 

RT.  REV.  MICHAEL  J.  HOBAN 

Bishop  (Roman  Catholic)  of  Scranton,  Pa. 

ELMER  H.  LA  WALL,  C.E.,  E.M. 

Treasurer  of  the  International  Textbook 
Company — Mining  Expert,  Wilkes-Barre, 
Pa. 

LIEUT.    COMMANDER    H.    B.   WILSON, 
U.  S.  N. 
Navy  Department,  Washington,  D    C. 

J.  K.  GRIFFITH,  A.  C. 

Director  of  the  International  Textbook  Com- 
pany— Superintendent  of  Latrobe  Steel 
Works,  Latrobe,  Pa. 

HON.  THOMAS  H.  DALE 

Member  of  Congress  from  the  10th  Penn- 
sylvania District — Capitalist,  Scranton, Pa. 

EDMUND  A.  ENGLER,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 

President  of  the  Worcester  Polytechnic 
Institute,  Worcester,  Mass. 

COL.  CHARLES  W.  LARNED,  U.  S.  A. 

Professor  of  Technical  and  Military 
Graphics  and  Applied  Geometry,  U.  S. 
Military  Academy,  West  Point,  N.  Y. 


103 


REV.  JOSEPH  H.  ODELL.  D.D. 


ANNIVERSARY    BANQUET 


Blessing 
REV.  JOSEPH  H.  ODELL 

Pastor  Second  Presbyterian  Church,  Scranton,  Pa. 


We  give  thee  thanks,  O  God,  for  all  that  is  true,  and  honorable, 
and  pure,  and  lovely,  and  for  all  that  is  of  good  report.  Grant 
thy  blessing  upon  all  that  we  feel  it  right  to  do  for  ourselves,  and 
upon  all  that  we  believe  we  ought  to  do  for  others.  Give  thy 
benediction  to  every  effort  to  improve  the  body,  the  mind,  and  the 
heart,  of  our  fellow  men,  that  life  to  all  may  be  more  worthy  of 
living. 

Grant  unto  him  who  has  been  the  inspiration  of  this  organiza- 
tion, long  life  and  wisdom,  and  an  ample  recompense  for  all  his 
labors;  and  unto  his  fellow  workers  here  assembled,  vitality  and 
joy  in  their  callings;  and  unto  all  of  us,  openness  of  mind,  and 
simplicity  of  heart,  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.  Amen. 


105 


LETTERS 

Vice-President  Rufus  J.  Foster  read  two  letters,  out  of  many  received  from 
persons  who  were  unable  to  be  present 


FROM  THOMAS  A.  EDISON 


FROM     THE     LABORATORY 

OF 
THOMAS   A.    EDISON 


ORANGE,  N.  J.,  October  11,  1906 

T.  J.  FOSTER,  Esq.,  President, 

International  Correspondence  Schools, 
Scran  ton,  Pa. 

DEAR  SIR: 

I  regret  exceedingly  that  a  previous  engagement  will  prevent 
my  accepting  your  very  kind  invitation  of  the  26th  of  September 
to  visit  Scranton  on  the  occasion  of  the  fifteenth  anniversary 
of  the  International  Correspondence  Schools. 

Although  I  cannot  be  present  at  the  exercises,  it  is  a  pleasure 
for  me  to  assure  you  of  my  familiarity  with  your  great  and  deserving 
educational  work.  Please  accept  my  congratulations  on  the 
successful  outcome  of  your  past  years  of  labor  and  my  most  sincere 
wishes  for  the  continued  prosperity  and  public  appreciation  of 
the  International  Correspondence  Schools. 

Yours  very  truly, 

THOMAS  A.  EDISON 


106 


LETTERS — Continued 
FROM  ROSSITER  W.  RAYMOND 

Secretary  of  the  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers 


R.  W.  RAYMON  D 
MINING   ENGINEER 

99    JOHN     STREET 
P.  O.  BOX   223 


New  York,  October  4,  1906 

T.  J.  FOSTER,  Esq.,  President, 

International  Correspondence  Schools, 
Scranton,  Pa. 

DEAR  SIR: 

It  is  with  sincere  regret  that  I  find  myself  forced  by  the  accu- 
mulated work  of  my  office  to  forego  the  pleasure  of  attending  the 
fifteenth  anniversary  of  the  founding  of  the  International  Corre- 
spondence Schools,  in  accordance  with  your  kind  invitation.  But 
I  take  this  opportunity  to  express  my  views  concerning  the  enter- 
prise which  you  have  so  successfully  established.  It  will  be 
understood,  of  course,  that  this  expression  is  individual  and  not 
official,  since  the  Constitution  of  the  American  Institute  of  Mining 
Engineers  prohibits  the  endorsement  of  any  outside  proposition 
or  enterprise  by  the  Society  as  a  whole  or  by  its  Council.  Never- 
theless, my  position  for  twenty-two  years  past  as  Secretary  of 
the  Institute  has  given  opportunities  to  know  of  the  operations 
of  your  Schools,  which  I  might  not  otherwise  have  had;  and, 
to  that  extent,  has  naturally  influenced  my  private  judgment. 

Result  of  Recognized  Forces 

The  history  of  what  you  and  your  associates  have  accomplished 
during  the  last  fifteen  years  is  like  a  romance.  Yet,  upon  closer 
examination,  it  will  be  seen  to  involve  nothing  miraculous  or  fanciful 
but  to  be  the  orderly  development  of  recognized  forces. 

In  the  first  place,  there  was  a  great  universal  need  and  demand 
on  the  part  of  practical  workers  in  this  country  for  technical 
education.  This  demand  led  to  the  establishment  of  the  Columbia 
School  of  Mines  and  its  numerous  successors;  the  incorporation 


107 


of  popular  and  technical  science  in  the  columns  of  numerous 
trade  journals,  like  the  Iron  Age  and  the  Engineering  and 
Mining  Journal;  and  the  formation  of  new  professional  societies. 
The  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers,  founded  at  Wilkes- 
Barre  in  1871,  had  a  profound  influence  among  the  practical 
miners  and  metallurgists  of  Pennsylvania.  Its  three  founders, 
R.  P.  Rothwell,  Eckley  B.  Coxe,  and  Martin  Corywell,  were  Penn- 
sylvania engineers;  its  first  president,  David  Thomas,  was  a  self- 
educated  Pennsylvania  ironmaster;  and  its  earliest  list  of  members 
comprised  the  names  of  working  miners,  as  well  as  educated  chem- 
ists, engineers,  and  professors,  residing  in  Pennsylvania.  Moreover, 
burning  questions  of  Pennsylvania  industry,  such  as  the  waste 
of  anthracite  coal  mining  and  preparation,  the  peril  of  firedamp 
in  collieries  and  the  best  means  and  methods  of  colliery  ventilation, 
the  construction  and  management  of  blast  furnaces  and  rolling 
mills,  were  discussed  in  able  papers  by  the  members  of  the  young 
institute. 

Tidal  Wave  of  Education 

In  the  second  place,  there  was  a  young  newspaper  man  in 
Shenandoah  who  recognized  the  popular  demand  thus  emphasized, 
and,  through  the  Shenandoah  Herald,  the  local  Mining  Institute, 
and  other  enterprises,  did  a  great  work  in  stimulating  and  satis- 
fying the  hunger  of  his  constituents  for  knowledge.  The  way  in 
which,  from  these  small  and  geographically  limited  beginnings, 
Thomas  J.  Foster  came  to  conceive,  organize,  and  carry  out  the 
world-wide  enterprise  of  the  International  Correspondence  Schools, 
has  been  told  elsewhere  and  need  not  be  repeated  here.  If  I  had 
time  and  inclination  for  personal  compliment,  this  would  be  the 
proper  occasion  to  heap  deserved  praise  upon  you.  But,  reserving 
such  comment  for  the  biographical  notice,  which  I  trust  I  shall 
not  be  called  upon  to  write,  I  wish  to  point  out  how  your  large 
plan  took  advantage  of  the  tidal  wave  of  extra-scholastic  education 
which  has  recently  swept  over  this  country,  and  is  now  trans- 
forming, in  a  most  astonishing  way,  the  intellectual  life  of  the 
American  people. 

The  needs  of  those  who  are  too  old  or  too  busy  to  attend  our 
day  schools,  academies,  and  colleges,  were  intended  to  be  met, 
in  some  degree  at  least,  by  the  night  classes  of  such  institutions 
as  the  Cooper  Union  in  New  York,  with  which  I  was  for  many 
years  connected.  That  great  gas-lit  college,  with  its  two  thousand 
five  hundred  eager  students  and  its  waiting  list  of  two  thousand 
five  hundred  more,  furnished  a  spectacle  with  which  I  have  often 


108 


surprised  and  delighted  visitors  to  the  metropolis,  and  which,  in 
many  ways,  furnished  an  impulse  and  example  to  similar  enter- 
prises throughout  the  country. 

Another  attempt  to  supply  a  similar  demand  was  made  through 
numerous  summer  schools,  "Chautauqua  assemblies,"  lyceum 
courses,  etc.  The  present  extent  of  this  movement  is  scarcely  sus- 
pected even  by  those  engaged  in  it.  There  are  today,  in  the  states 
of  the  Middle  West,  six  hundred  "  Chautauquas,"  lasting  from  ten 
to  twenty  days  each,  attended  by  many  thousands  of  students, 
and  providing  lectures  by  the  most  eminent  men  of  the  country. 

But  it  has  long  been  recognized  by  educators  that  lecturers 
alone  can  do  little  more  than  stimulate  the  listener  to  further 
study;  and  there  has  consequently  grown  up  an  amazing  network 
of  university  correspondence  courses,  embracing  millions  of  home 
students. 

Success  of  Correspondence  Instruction 

The  possibility  of  teaching  technical  science  in  this  way  was 
at  first  doubted.  Such  branches  as  mechanical  drawing,  physics, 
and  engineering  seemed  to  require  the  actual  presence  of  the 
instructor.  The  degree  of  success  which  has  been  achieved,  even 
in  these  departments,  by  the  method  of  correspondence,  has  been 
a  great  surprise  to  me. 

Of  course,  a  boy  who  has  time  and  money  to  spare  for  the 
purpose  may  still  be  heartily  advised  to  take  a  full  course  in  a 
regular  technical  school..  He  will  be  helped  over  hard  places  in 
his  studies;  he  will  be  prepared  for  active,  independent  life  by 
a  transitional  period  of  association  with  many  comrades;  and 
he  will  (or  can,  if  he  will)  gain  an  all-around  mental  culture,  the 
value  of  which  should  not  be  undervalued.  But  one  who  is  already 
on  his  own  feet  in  active  life ;  who  does  not  need  to  practice  social 
functions  as  member  of  a  college  class;  who  must  secure  his  all- 
around  culture  (if  he  is  to  win  at  all) ,  not  by  prosecuting  a  thorough 
prescribed  curriculum,  but  by  supplying  the  deficiencies  he  has 
found  by  experience  in  his  imperfect  knowledge,  and  who  cannot, 
if  he  would,  give  three  or  four  years  of  his  life  to  actual  attendance 
in  a  school,  may  comfort  himself  with  the  thought  of  certain 
compensations. 

From  the  standpoint  of  the  general  development  of  character 
and  culture,  a  college  course  (under  which  term  I  include  all 
technical  courses  conducted  by  classes)  is  undoubtedly  beneficial. 
But  from  the  standpoint  of  special  acquisition  in  particular  depart- 
ments, the  whole  college  system  involves  a  dreadful  waste  of  time 


109 


and  money.  The  progress  of  a  "class"  in  any  given  department 
is  necessarily  planned  to  accommodate  the  average  intelligence 
of  the  student  and  his  other  duties.  And  among  these  other  duties 
the  faculty  is  forced  to  recognize  a  certain  proportion  of  distracting 
recreations,  class  societies  and  entertainments — athletic,  dramatic, 
muscial,  oratorical,  etc. — all  good,  and  all  necessary,  perhaps, 
to  the  average  student,  but  all  outside  of  his  work  as  a  student. 
It  is  true  that  provision  is  made  for  "special  students"  in  our 
great  technical  schools;  but  even  for  such,  the  general  organization 
and  atmosphere  is  sometimes  limiting  or  distracting. 

Special  Value  of   Education  by  Mail 

At  all  events,  a  man  who  knows  what  it  is  he  wishes  to  learn, 
and  who  is  willing  to  put  into  his  endeavor  all  the  time  and  strength 
he  has,  may  find  that  he  obtains  more  personal  attention  and 
help,  and  makes  more  rapid  progress,  in  that  particular  thing, 
through  the  relation  of  correspondence  with  a  competent  instructor 
than  through  the  general  operations  of  a  great  systematic  school. 
He  would  get,  incidentally,  at  the  school,  a  great  many  other 
benefits.  If  his  years  and  means  permit,  I  would  heartily  advise 
him  to  take  the  school.  But  there  is  no  doubt  that,  in  other  cases, 
instruction  by  correspondence  may  have  its  special  advantages. 
Given  a  competent  instructor,  the  student's  progress  will  depend 
wholly  on  himself — which  is  all  that  an  American  ought  to  ask. 
I  am  therefore  not  surprised  at  the  testimony  which  reaches 
me  from  all  quarters,  of  the  practical  benefits  secured  by  students 
of  all  grades  of  previous  training  from  study  prosecuted  in  connec- 
tion with  the  International  Correspondence  Schools. 

In  conclusion,  I  would  recognize  an  additional  and  most  impor- 
tant development  of  this  enterprise,  namely,  the  production 
of  textbooks  as  an  adjunct  to  the  work  of  these  schools.  It  is 
notorious  that  the  best  textbooks — in  fact,  nearly  all  textbooks — 
are  produced  by  teachers.  Actual  experience  with  pupils  is 
the  best  guide  to  authorship  in  this  department.  But  the  books 
so  produced  often  leave  much  in  the  way  of  omission  or  obscurities 
to  be  remedied  by  the  oral  explanation  of  the  instructor.  In  my 
judgment,  instruction  by  correspondence  involves  an  exceptional 
training  of  the  instructor  himself,  leading  him  to  forms  of  state- 
ment which  will  not  require  subsequent  explanation,  and  to  the 
careful  presentation  of  many  simple  and  rudimentary  things 
which  he  would  not  deem  necessary  under  other  circumstances. 


110 


Ideal   Textbooks 

A  great  jurist,  one  of  the  justices  of  the  United  States  Supreme 
Court,  once  said  to  me,  with  regard  to  an  argument  before  that 
tribunal;  "Begin  at  the  beginning  and  assume  that  we  do  not 
know  anything.  You  will  never  know  how  much  we  do  not  know!" 
This  principle  might  well  be  considered  by  the  authors  of  text- 
books. It  is  not  merely  the  ignorant,  but  also  those  who  once 
knew  but  are  no  longer  sure,  who  look  into  such  books,  often  in 
vain,  for  particulars  deemed  unnecessary  by  the  distinguished 
authors. 

I  have  made  no  such  examination  of  the  textbooks  of  the 
International  Correspondence  Schools  as  would  warrant  me  in 
expressing  an  opinion  of  them;  but  in  view  of  the  considerations 
above  set  forth,  I  am  not  surprised  to  find  that  they  have  been 
adopted  in  many  schools,  and  have  been  particularly  praised 
for  exceptional  clearness  of  style  and  statement,  and  for  the  inclu- 
sion of  many  definitions  and  explanations  most  useful  to  the 
student  and  not  always  to  be  found  in  such  manuals.  This  is 
what  ought  to  be  the  result,  if  the  instructors  of  these  Schools 
have  properly  utilized  their  own  great  opportunity  as  learners; 
and  that  this  is  the  result,  shows  conversely  their  worthiness 
for  their  work. 

Congratulating  you  upon  the  success  of  the  International 
Correspondence  Schools,  and  trusting  that  they  will  maintain 
hereafter  the  high  standard  they  have  set  up,  I  remain, 

Yours  truly, 

R.  W.  RAYMOND 


111 


CHAIRMAN'S  REMARKS 


WILLIAM  L.  CONNELL 

Ex-Mayor  of  Scranton — Director  of  the 
International  Textbook  Company 


GENTLEMEN: 

Like  the  Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Conciliation,  I  find  that  I 
hold  over  from  the  morning  exercises  to  the  Chairmanship  of 
this  evening. 

Those  of  you  who  were  present  this  morning,  and  heard  the 
paper  read  by  President  Foster  know  that  I  have  been  a  student 
of  one  of  the  Courses  of  the  I.  C.  S.;  and  in  assuming  the  study  of 
that  Course,  I  naturally  fell  into  what  he  bore  so  heavily  upon  this 
morning — the  study  habit.  With  the  study  habit,  came  self- 
reliance,  and  with  self-reliance  came  a  willingness  to  obey  the 
mandate  of  my  educational  chief.  Again,  Mr.  President,  I  obey 
my  chief,  and  tonight  occupy  the  position  of  which  I  should  have 
been  relieved.  (Applause.) 

However,  gentlemen,  another  thought  and  another  desire  made 
me  willing  to  preside  here.  Years  ago,  I  read  a  little  poem  entitled 
"What  My  Lover  Said,"  and  I  heard  one  prominent  man  and  one 
prominent  paper  say  it  was  from  the  pen  of  Horace  Greeley .  Another 
authority  attributed  its  authorship  to  some  one  else,  and  I  want 
the  matter  cleared  up,  as  I  am  sure  you  do  also.  I  believe,  gentle- 
men, that  we  shall  hear  tonight  the  real  truth— shall  learn  who  the 
real  author  of  that  beautiful  poem  is. 

When  we  looked  over  the  available  timber  for  Toastmaster  for 
this  occasion,  our  eyes  went  over  the  Moosic  mountains  into  a  certain 
little  valley,  into  a  little  country  town,  and  we  believed  that  a 
certain  poet,  lawyer,  author,  had  buried  his  greatness  long  enough, 
that  it  was  time  he  came  out  into  the  lime  light,  so  that  even 
Scranton  and  the  adjoining  counties  might  know,  with  me,  who  it 
was  that  with  such  rare  art  failed  to  tell  "What  My  Lover  Said." 

Gentlemen,  never  have  I  had  more  pleasure  than  in  introducing 
as  the  Toastmaster  of  this  occasion,  Mr.  Homer  Greene,  of  Hones- 
dale,  as  I  said  before,  the  poet,  the  lawyer,  the  author.  (Applause.) 


112 


OF  THE 

[   UNIVERSITY 

OF 


113 


HOMER  GREEN,  LJTT.D. 


TOASTMASTER'S  REMARKS 

HOMER  GREENE,  LITT.  D. 

Author,  Attorney-at-Latf,  Honesdale,  Pa. 

MR.  CHAIRMAN,  MR.  PRESIDENT,  AND  GUESTS  OF  THE  INTERNA- 
TIONAL CORRESPONDENCE  SCHOOLS: 

We  are  first  of  all,  American  citizens.  We  are  patriots.  And 
I  therefore  propose  that  we  all  rise  and  drink  to  the  health  of  the 
President  of  the  United  States.  (The  toast  was  drunk.) 

Now,  Mr.  Chairman,  I  am  surprised  that  a  gentleman  who 
holds  the  quasi  judicial  position  on  the  Conciliation  Board  that 
my  friend  Mr.  Connell  does,  should  on  an  occasion  of  this  kind, 
in  this  public  manner,  call  attention  to  the  poetical  sins  of  my 
youth.  I  want  to  say  to  him,  that  for  the  last  thirty  years  I  have 
been  trying  to  earn  my  living  honestly  in  the  practice  of  the  law. 
(Laughter.)  And  I  want  to  say,  moreover,  that  the  alleged  poem 
to  which  he  has  referred,  was  written  thirty  years  ago;  therefore 
if  there  was  a  crime  in  writing  it,  it  is  outlawed,  and  the  statute 
of  limitations  has  run  against  it. 

The  chairman  has  doubtless  read  the  story  of  "The  Lady  or 
the  Tiger,"  and  he  has  taken  his  choice  between  the  lady  and  the 
tiger;  and  he  can  take  his  choice  tonight  between  myself  and 
Horace  Greeley. 

Distinguished  Audience 

Now,  speaking  seriously,  there  are  not  among  the  honors  that 
have  been  accorded  to  me  in  my  lifetime,  any  greater  than  the 
honor  of  having  been  chosen  to  act  as  Toastmaster  at  this  banquet. 
It  falls  to  the  lot  of  but  few  men — and  to  those  but  once  in  a  life- 
time— to  introduce  such  speakers  as  are  on  this  list,  to  such  an 
audience  as  faces  me  tonight ;  and  it  is  moreover  a  position  of  great 
responsibility.  To  fill  it  requires  a  degree  of  courage  that  borders 
on  rashness.  I  understand  that  in  the  entire  city  of  Scranton,  no 
man  was  found  brave  enough  to  undertake  the  task.  (Laughter.) 
Even  my  good  old  friend  and  neighbor,  the  Mayor,  who  is  willing 
to  tackle  almost  any  job,  rebelled  at  this.  But  over  in  Wayne 


115 


county,  in  the  quiet,  placid,  gently  shaded  streets  of  Honesdale, 
the  projectors  of  this  good  feast  found  a  man  who  had  enough 
nerve,  enough  assurance,  enough  recklessness,  to  undertake 
the  task. 

I  notice  that  the  gentlemen  who  administer  the  affairs  of  this 
great  Institution  are  accustomed  to  finding  what  they  seek;  and 
when  they  want  a  Toastmaster  on  whom  care  and  responsibility 
and  prudence  sit  as  lightly  as  does  age  upon  the  honored  head  of 
the  founder  of  this  Institution,  they  know  where  to  go  to  get  one. 
(Applause.)  And  when  they  want  to  serve  a  banquet  unexcelled 
by  any  in  the  history  of  any  of  us,  they  give  the  order — and  it  is 
done.  And  when  they  want  as  guests  at  their  banquet  the  repre- 
sentative men  of  Scranton,  of  Pennsylvania,  and  of  the  entire 
East,  they  issue  the  invitations — and  behold!  the  guests  are  here. 
And  when  they  want  the  most  illustrious  speakers  of  the  day  to 
address  their  not  less  illustrious  guests,  they  bid  these  gentlemen 
come — and  they  are  here  at  their  bidding. 

A  National  Institution 

Now,  the  city  of  Scranton  is  made  up  of  men  who  do  things, 
and  there  is  no  better  illustration  of  that  fact,  than  the  history  and 
progress  of  these  International  Correspondence  Schools.  And  yet 
this  Institution  is  not  local.  It  is  in  no  sense  provincial.  It  is 
national.  And  its  scope  is  no  less  vast  than  the  universe.  He 
who  makes  two  blades  of  grass  grow  where  one  grew  before  is 
really  more  than  a  benefactor  to  humanity. 

These  people  have  made  a  thousand  blades  of  grass  to  grow 
where  one  grew  before;  and  if  you  doubt  the  beneficence  of  their 
work,  go  ask  the  multitudes  of  young  men  and  women  endowed  by 
nature  with  ambition,  with  brains,  with  energy,  but  handicapped 
by  poverty,  who  have  been  enabled  through  the  genius  of  this  man 
and  through  the  work  of  these  Schools,  to  push  up  to  a  higher 
plane  of  life,  and  to  better  things. 

Better  American  Citizenship 

I  tell  you  sir,  that  the  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  of 
evening  lamps  that  are  burning  all  over  this  continent  tonight, 
by  reason  of  your  genius  and  the  work  of  these  Schools,  are  lighting 
the  way  to  a  higher  American  citizenship  for  a  greater  percentage 
of  American  people  than  you  or  I  have  any  conception  of  as  we 
sit  around  this  table.  (Applause.) 


116 


"  The  heights  by  great  men  reached  and  kept, 

Were  not  attained  by  sudden  flight ; 
But  they,  while  their  companions  slept, 
Were  toiling  upward  in  the  night." 

And  I  say,  all  honor  and  long  life  to  this  man  and  to  his  Schools 
who  has  put  it  into  the  power  of  these  toilers  of  the  night,  to  find 
fulfilment  of  their  ambition  and  their  hope,  to  rise  on  stepping- 
stones — the  stepping-stones  of  their  dead  selves — to  higher  things. 

Mighty  Educational  Influence 

The  founder  of  this  great  Institution  builded  better  than  he 
knew.  I  dare  say,  that  that  which  has  come  to  pass  today,  sur- 
passed his  most  daring  dreams;  for  this  Institution  is  no  longer  a 
mere  individual  enterprise.  It  is  no  longer  a  mere  experiment  for 
personal  profit.  It  is  no  longer  a  mere  channel  for  corporate  gain. 
It  has  passed  far  above  and  beyond  all  that.  It  has  made  Scranton 
today  a  center  of  a  mighty  educational  influence  felt  throughout 
the  civilized  world.  And  it  deserves  as  much  credit,  as  much 
repute,  as  much  honor  in  its  line  of  work,  as  Yale,  and  Harvard, 
and  Princeton  enjoy  in  theirs.  And  it  is  this  fact  that  has  enabled 
it  to  gather  around  this  board  tonight  the  representative  men 
whom  you  see  here,  men  who  are  glad  to  attest  by  their  presence 
their  appreciation  of  the  great  work  that  these  Schools  have  been 
doing — men,  some  of  whom  you  are  anxious  to  hear.  And  I  want 
to  say  that  in  addition  to  the  names  that  appear  in  the  toast  list, 
I  shall  doubtless  call  upon  two  or  three  men  of  national  reputation 
who  are  here  tonight,  to  supplement  that  list;  and  I  shall  call, 
in  conclusion,  upon  the  President  of  this  Institution  to  say  "Good 
Night"  to  us  all  before  we  go  home,  and  I  trust  that  no  one  will 
leave  until  he  has  done  so. 

Not  long  since,  an  express  train  on  the  New  York  Central 
Railroad,  running  at  the  rate  of  forty  miles  an  hour,  was  nearing 
the  Grand  Central  Depot  in  the  city  of  New  York.  Mark  Twain 
was  a  passenger  on  the  train.  A  lady  across  the  aisle  leaned  over 
and  said  to  him,  "I  beg  your  pardon,  but  can  you  tell  me  if  this 
train  stops  at  the  Grand  Central  Station?"  "I  hope  it  does, 
madam,"  replied  the  irrepressible  Mark;  "I  hope  to  heaven  it  does, 
for  if  it  doesn't,  there  will  be  a  devil  of  a  wreck." 

My  oratorical  train  is  just  about  reaching  its  terminus,  and  I 
propose  now  to  pull  my  little  post-prandial  engine  into  the  depot 
in  order  to  avoid  any  sort  of  a  wreck,  and  to  bring  out  from  the 
roundhouse  speaker-engines  that  are  bigger  and  braver  and  better 
and  brighter  than  mine. 


117 


A  Wonderful  Age 

In  introducing  the  first  speaker  on  the  list,  I  want  to  say  that 
we  have  often  heard  the  expression — I  have  heard  it  so  often  it 
has  become  worn  out — that  this  is  a  wonderful  age;  and  yet  this 
saying  is  wonderfully  true.  Science  is  invading  realms,  the  glories 
and  the  possibilities  of  which  were  never  dreamed  of  by  our  fathers 
and  grandfathers.  When  I  was  graduated  from  the  Engineering 
School  of  Union  College  in  1874 — I  did  not  mean  to  give  that  date, 
because  like  my  friend  Charles  Emory  Smith  this  morning,  it 
enables  the  ladies  to  know  how  old  I  am ;  but  I  have  told  it — when 
I  was  graduated  from  the  Engineering  School  thirty-two  years  ago, 
at  that  time  electricity  was  applied  generally  to  but  one  of  the 
arts,  the  art  of  telegraphy.  Today  it  moves  the  commerce  of  the 
world.  And  yet  that  is  but  one  of  the  marvels  of  the  age.  The 
field  of  the  technical  scientist  is  vast,  broad,  and  to  a  great  extent 
untrodden,  and  no  one  knows  this  better  than  the  Dean  of  the 
School  of  Applied  Sciences  of  the  Syracuse  University. 

It  is  told  of  two  Irishmen  who  were  crossing  the  ocean  on  their 
way  to  this  country  that  on  the  voyage  over  one  of  them  took  ill 
and  died,  and  there  was  a  burial  at  sea.  In  place  of  the  weights 
that  they  commonly  use,  or  in  default  of  those  weights,  they  were 
obliged  to  use  chunks  of  coal.  Pat  came  and  looked  upon  his 
dead  friend  Mike  lying  there  with  the  chunks  of  coal  and  the 
shroud,  and  presently  he  said,  "Well,  begorra,  I  always  knew  you 
were  going  there,  but  be  jabbers,  I  didn't  think  they  would  make 
you  take  your  coal  along." 

It  is  like  bringing  coal  to  Newcastle,  to  bring  the  head  of  the 
great  Technical  School  in  Syracuse  to  the  great  Technical  School 
at  Scranton,  but  he  is  here  tonight,  and  he  has  brought  his  coals 
with  him.  And  he  will  address  us  with  a  tongue  of  fire — Dean 
William  Kent. 


118 


INTERNATIONAL  CORRESPONDENCE  SCHOOLS 
INSTRUCTION  BY  CORRESPONDENCE 


119 


WILLIAM  KENT.  A.  M..  M.  E. 


TECHNICAL  EDUCATION 

WILLIAM  KENT,  A.M.,  M.E. 

Dean  of  the  College  of  Applied  Science,  Syracuse  Unioersity,  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

MR.  TOASTMASTER,  PRESIDENT  FOSTER,  AND  GENTLEMEN  OF  THE 

INTERNATIONAL  CORRESPONDENCE  SCHOOLS: 

I  bring  you  greeting  from  one  of  the  great  universities  of  this 
country,  and  I  think  I  may  say,  that  I  represent  the  other  repre- 
sentatives of  the  universities  here  tonight  in  bringing  congratula- 
tions to  the  International  Correspondence  Schools,  and  in  wishing 
them  Godspeed  and  success  in  their  future  work. 

I  have  been  somewhat  paralyzed  by  this  lawyer  and  poet,  and 
I  don't  know  whether  he  is  all  that  he  has  tonight  been  described 
to  be.  He  has  poured  forth  a  flood  of  eloquence  which  I  know 
I  can  never  aspire  to,  but  it  has  not  yet  been  revealed  to  this  audience 
that  he  is  a  mind  reader.  He  has  had  the  audacity  to  steal  my 
sentiments,  not  by  actually  burglarizing  my  pockets  and  going 
through  my  papers;  I  do  not  accuse  him  of  that,  but  worse  than 
that — of  actual  mind  reading,  to  the  extent  that  he  in  his  speech 
got  out  the  very  first  sentence  I  had  written  for  mine.  Here  it 
is:  He  who  makes  two  blades  of  grass  grow  where  one  grew 
before  (laughter)  is  a  benefactor  of  humanity.  Now,  think  what 
a  position  I  am  put  in.  This  whole  paper  of  mine  is  about  "grass," 
and  I  have  got  to  read  it.  It  is  here: 

Increases  Material  Prosperity 

I  don't  know  who  first  made  that  statement  about  grass;  it 
was  not  made  by  me;  but  whoever  made  it,  uttered  one  of  the 
profoundest  and  far  reaching  truths  on  political  economy.  Make 
two  blades  of  grass  grow  for  every  one  that  grew  before  on  the 
poorly  kept  lawn  in  your  front  door  yard,  and  you  not  only  gratify 
your  own  esthetic  taste,  but  that  of  your  neighbor,  and  you  add 
to  the  beauty  of  the  town.  Double  the  grass  crop  in  your  pasture 
lot,  and  you  not  only  make  more  and  better  milk,  butter,  and 
cheese,  and  thus  increase  your  own  wealth,  but  you  stimulate 
commerce  in  these  articles  and  add  to  the  wealth  of  the  world. 


121 


Double  the  grass  crop  of  the  United  States,  and  financial  prosperity 
comes  not  only  to  the  farmers  but  to  the  whole  country,  and  the 
benefits  are  felt  in  every  part  of  the  world  to  which  American  farm 
products  are  carried. 

And  what  is  true  of  grass,  is  true  of  every  article  of  value 
grown  on  the  farm  or  dug  from  the  mine  or  manufactured  in  the 
shop  or  produced  by  the  intellect  or  genius  of  man. 

It  is  a  fundamental  fact  in  political  economy  that  the  increase 
of  the  wealth  of  a  country  or  of  the  world,  is  chiefly  the  increase 
of  the  sum  total  of  things  produced,  of  cattle,  of  tons  of  coal  and 
iron,  of  buildings,  of  locomotives,  of  automobiles  and  ships,  of 
things  to  eat,  of  things  to  wear,  of  things  that  delight  the  intellect 
or  the  artistic  sense.  Even  that  part  of  the  wealth  of  a  country 
that  is  reckoned  as  the  "unearned  increment,"  the  increase  in  the 
value  of  land  or  of  railroad  bonds  and  stocks,  results  primarily 
from  the  increase  of  material  things  produced,  for  the  increased 
value  of  a  corner  lot  comes  from  somebody's  building  structures 
of  iron,  brick,  and  mortar  around  it,  and  of  somebody's  building 
an  electric  railroad  to  run  near  it;  and  the  increased  value  of  rail- 
road stocks  and  bonds  comes  from  the  increase  of  the  products 
of  farm,  mine,  and  shop,  which  the  railroad  carries. 

Better  Chance  for  the  Individual 

The  second  fundamental  fact — really  a  self-evident  proposi- 
tion— is  that  the  greater  the  number  of  things  produced,  the  more 
wealth  there  is  to  be  divided,  and  as  the  wealth  of  the  country 
increases,  there  is,  with  any  fair  system  of  distribution,  a  better 
chance  for  each  individual  to  get  a  larger  portion  of  it;  so  that, 
generally  speaking,  the  increase  of  wealth  of  a  community  tends 
to  increase  the  wealth  of  every  man  in  it. 

My  proposition  then  is  this:  that  it  is  to  the  interest  of  both 
the  working  capitalist  and  the  working  laborer  that  the  wealth 
of  the  country  should  increase.  There  is  then  no  conflict  or 
difference  of  interest  between  capital  and  labor,  as  far  as  production 
is  concerned.  Both  have  an  interest  in  the  increase  of  wealth. 
The  only  conflict  that  can  arise  is  regarding  distribution.  This  is 
a  question  on  which  I  shall  not  enter  further  than  to  express  the 
opinion  that  the  common  sense  of  the  American  people,  with  the 
better  education  of  both  capitalist  and  laborer  as  to  their  several 
rights  and  duties,  will  ultimately  lead  to  its  proper  solution. 

The  most  important  statistical  fact  in  the  political  economy  of 
our  time  is  the  enormous  increase  in  the  production  of  wealth 


122 


of  the  civilized  world  during  the  last  hundred  years,  and  more 
especially  during  the  last  thirty  years.  It  began  with  the  utili- 
zation of  coal  to  do  the  work  of  the  world,  through  James  Watt's 
invention  of  the  steam  engine.  The  progress  was  comparatively 
slow  until  about  1870,  but  since  that  date  it  has  been  tremendously 
rapid. 

Education  Increases  National  Wealth 

The  chief  factor  in  the  increase  of  wealth  in  the  last  thirty 
years  has  been  the  great  number  of  men  technically  educated  in 
the  several  arts  and  sciences  connected  with  material  production. 
Ever  since  the  school  began  turning  out  men  educated  in  chemistry 
and  in  mining  and  mechanical  engineering,  the  intellectual  activity 
of  these  men  has  been  chiefly  devoted  to  the  one  purpose  of  increas- 
ing the  material  wealth  of  the  world.  Tredgold's  definition  of 
engineering  is:  "the  art  of  directing  the  great  forces  of  nature  for 
the  use  and  convenience  of  man."  The  greatest  available  force 
of  nature  is  the  force  derived  from  the  burning  of  coal,  and  the 
art  of  directing  this  force  is  the  art  which  is  taught  in  technical 
education. 

Thirty-five  years  ago  a  small  group  of  men  conceived  the  idea 
that  the  best  way  to  train  a  man  so  that  he  could  most  effectively 
direct  the  great  forces  of  nature,  was  to  give  him  a  thorough 
education  in  the  principles  of  mathematics,  applied  mechanics, 
chemistry,  and  the  construction  and  use  of  machinery,  and  that 
this  kind  of  education  could  best  be  given  not  in  the  shop,  but 
in  a  new  kind  of  college,  a  college  of  mechanical  engineering.  Such 
colleges  were  founded  first  by  private  endowments,  and  later  by 
state  grants.  They  began  turning  out  graduates,  only  a  few  of 
them  at  first,  and  for  them  there  was  no  demand,  for  the  world 
had  not  discovered  that  such  men  were  needed.  But  they  found 
their  jobs.  By  the  work  they  accomplished  they  proved  the 
wisdom  of  the  founders  of  the  colleges,  and  then  the  demand 
grew.  Now  some  thousands  of  these  graduates  are  turned  out 
every  year,  and  the  demand  has  increased  as  fast  as  the  supply. 

The  New  School  for  the  Masses 

Fifteen  years  ago,  one  man,  Thomas  J.  Foster,  conceived 
another  idea,  that  there  is  another  method  of  giving  a  man  a  tech- 
nical education,  the  method  of  the  Correspondence  School.  This 
School  was  not  intended  to  be,  and  is  not  in  any  sense  a  rival  of 
the  technical  college.  It  was  not  for  that  very  small  fraction  of 


123 


the  population  who  first  had  the  opportunity  and  the  ability  to 
graduate  from  a  high  school  or  an  academy,  and  afterwards  had 
the  opportunity  and  the  desire  to  spend  four  years  more  in  getting 
the  higher  education;  it  was  for  that  vastly  larger  fraction,  the 
men  of  maturer  age  who  were  at  work  and  who  desired  to  get 
a  technical  education  while  still  at  work.  Some  of  the  amazing 
results  of  the  Correspondence  Schools  we  have  heard  and  seen 
today.  In  fifteen  years  they  have  had  more  students  and  turned 
out  more  graduates  than  all  the  technical  colleges  put  together 
have  in  thirty  years,  and  now  they  have  an  annual  enrolment 
about  equal  to  that  of  all  the  universities,  colleges,  and  higher 
grade  technical  schools  in  the  country. 

But  the  results  of  technical  education,  whether  of  the  college 
or  the  correspondence  school,  are  not  to  be  measured  merely  in 
statistics,  nor  in  dollars  and  cents.  He  who  makes  two  blades  of 
grass  grow  where  one  grew  before  is  a  benefactor,  not  only  of  him- 
self, but  of  humanity.  He  who  improves  his  intellect,  so  that  it 
gives  him  the  capacity  to  produce  two  dollars  where  he  produced 
one  dollar  before,  cannot  measure  the  whole  result  of  the  improve- 
ment in  mere  wages.  His  intellectual  advancement  is  the  intel- 
lectual advancement  of  the  community  and  of  posterity,  and  that 
cannot  be  measured  in  dollars.  Not  only  does  technical  education 
contribute  to  industrial  progress,  to  the  increase  of  the  wealth  of 
mankind,  and  to  intellectual  advancement;  it  must  also  contribute 
to  good  morals.  The  technical  student  is  brought  face  to  face 
with  the  laws  of  nature  and  of  science,  which  are  laws  of  truth. 
To  be  a  good  technical  student  a  man  must  be  honest  with  him- 
self. He  must  face  difficulties  and  honestly  overcome  them.  He 
must  have  the  virtues  of  soberness,  patience,  perseverance,  and 
grit.  He  must  be  an  all-around  good  citizen. 

We  have  considered  two  great  systems  of  education,  the  imme- 
diate financial  results  of  both  of  which  are  the  increased  earning 
power  of  the  individual  and  the  increased  wealth  of  the  commu- 
nity, and  the  indirect  results  of  which  are  the  intellectual  and 
moral  uplift  of  the  race. 

Wealth  Through  Trained  Workers 

There  is  a  third  system  of  education  of  which  little  has  yet 
been  heard  in  this  country.  It  is  industrial  or  trade  schools  for 
the  great  mass  of  young  men  who  intend  to  earn  a  living  at  the 
mechanical  trades,  and  who  cannot  learn  the  trades  in  the  shop 
on  account  of  the  decay  of  the  apprentice  system.  We  are  far 


124 


behind  Germany  and  France  and  Switzerland  in  these  matters, 
but  we  have  made  a  beginning,  and  the  Williamson  Trade  School 
near  Philadelphia  is  a  noted  example.  Statistics  collected  by 
Mr.  James  M.  Dodge,  president  of  the  Link-Belt  Engineering 
Company,  have  shown  that  the  graduates  of  this  school  have  an 
increased  earning  power  after  they  reach  the  age  of  twenty-two 
years,  as  compared  with  men  of  the  same  age  who  have  had  only 
shop  training.  This  is  a  most  important  economic  fact.  Increased 
earning  power  of  the  workman  means  increased  wealth  of  the 
world.  The  trades  school,  with  the  correspondence  school  and 
the  technical  college,  is  also  making  two  blades  of  grass  grow  where 
one  grew  before,  and  is  therefore  a  benefactor  of  humanity. 

In  a  notable  address  delivered  in  1890,  the  late  Abram  I. 
Hewitt  characterized  the  invention  of  Bessemer  steel  as  an  epoch- 
making  event  which  alone  ranked  with  three  other  events,  the 
invention  of  printing,  the  discovery  of  America,  and  the  invention 
of  the  steam  engine,  which  has  changed  the  face  of  society  since 
the  Middle  Ages.  To  these  we  must  add  a  fifth,  the  rapid  develop- 
ment within  the  past  thirty  years  of  useful  education  in  the  three 
systems  of  the  technical  college,  the  correspondence  school,  and 
the  trade  school.  May  these  three  systems  continue  to  grow  side 
by  side  with  only  friendly  rivalry,  and  to  do  still  better  work  in 
the  material,  intellectual,  and  moral  advancement  of  mankind. 
(Applause.) 


125 


ELBERT  HUBBARD 


THE  STUDY  HABIT 

ELBERT  HUBBARD 

Editor  of  The  Philistine,  Author,  Lecturer,  East  Aurora,  N.  Y. 

MR.  TOASTMASTER,  MR.  PRESIDENT,  GENTLEMEN  OF  THE  INTER- 
NATIONAL CORRESPONDENCE  SCHOOLS,  AND  INVITED  GUESTS: 
It  is  a  great  pleasure  to  meet  you  here  tonight.     I  say  this  for 
two  reasons:  one,  because  you  expect  me  to  say  it;  because  you 
will  feel  badly  if  I  don't  say  it;  and  the  second  reason  is  because 
it  is  true.      (Laughter.) 

Now,  I  want  to  make  you  a  startling  proposition — one  of  my 
original  things.  Get  it  down.  "He  who  makes  (laughter)  two 
bats  grow  where  there  were  no  bats  before" — boys,  let's  cut 
the  introductory. 

The  other  day  in  Chicago,  I  called  on  a  professor  of  physics; 
and  when  you  call  on  a  professor  of  physics,  you  must  talk  about 
electricity.  If  you  don't  know  what  to  say,  I  will  tell  you  what 
you  will  say.  It  is  this:  "Oh,  electricity!  a  great  mystery! 
Nobody  knows  anything  about  it!  It  is  manifestation!"  That 
is  what  you  will  say — unless  he  says  it  first. 

You  are  perfectly  safe  in  saying  this.  You  will  never  shock 
anybody,  ladies  present,  or  young  men  present;  it  is  all  right. 
"Electricity  is  a  great  mystery;  nobody  knows  what  it  is."  I 
was  just  going  to  say  it  when  he  said  it.  "Good  by,"  I  said. 

An  Educated  Motorman 

I  walked  down  the  steps  and  caught  a  trolley  car.  Over  the 
the  head  of  the  motorman  I  saw  a  sign,  "Don't  talk  to  the  motor- 
man."  This  suggested  an  interview.  (Laughter.)  And  so  I  said, 
"Pardner,  what  is  electricity?"  "The  juice,"  he  said.  He  knew. 
(Laughter.) 

I  asked,  "Where  do  they  get  it?"  "Oh!"  he  said,  "it's  every- 
where. IT  ALLUS  wuz.  Edison  didn't  invent  it."  "Well," 
I  said,  "Where  do  you  get  it?"  "Oh!"  he  says,  "It's  every- 
where. It's  God's  greatest  gift  to  man."  I  said,  "I  thought 


127 


woman  was  God's  greatest  gift  to  man."  "Same  thing,"  he  says. 
(Laughter.)  "Electrical  manifestation.  Very  dangerous  if  you 
don't  know  how  to  handle  it."  (Laughter.) 

"Why,"  he  says;  "Look  here."  He  gave  the  wheel  a  turn; 
the  car  shot  forward.  "What?"  I  said,  "does  electricity  make 
this  car  go?"  He  said  "Yes."  I  asked  him  "How?"  He  ex- 
plained it  to  me.  He  says,  "I  have  taken  the  Electrical  Course 
in  the  International  Correspondence  Schools.  I  know."  (Laugh- 
ter.) 

He  says,  "I  am  getting  ready  for  a  better  job."  He  carried 
us  ten  miles  in  perfect  safety.  We  stopped  a  dozen  times — 
stopped  within  six  inches  of  where  we  wanted  to  stop.  I  got 
off  the  car.  "Good  by,"  I  said,  as  I  jumped  off.  "Good  by, 
pard,"  he  said.  He  didn't  even  look  up  at  me.  He  didn't  know 
I  was  the  great  literary  light.  (Laughter.)  He  didn't  care.  He 
was  just  intent  on  doing  his  work.  I  looked  back  at  him,  and 
I  said,  "There  goes  an  educated  man.  He  is  'ON'  to  his  job." 
And  the  educated  man,  boys,  is  the  man  who  is  "on"  to  his  job, 
and  who  is  getting  ready  for  a  better  job. 

What  Real  Education  Is 

What  do  I  care  whether  he  has  had  any  college  course  or  not  ?  I 
don't  care  whether  he  has  been  to  Syracuse.  I  don't  care  whether 
he  has  "  Litt.  D."  behind  his  name,  as  this  gentleman  first  on  the 
program,  or  "Big  D."  No.  If  he  is  "on"  to  his  job,  if  he  earns 
a  living,  if  he  adds  to  the  wealth  and  to  the  happiness  of  the  world, 
and  if  he  is  getting  ready  for  a  better  job,  he  is  an  educated 
man. 

There  is  no  science  of  education.  If  there  were  a  science  of 
education,  you  could  take  so  much  boy  and  so  much  curriculum, 
and  mix  them,  and  produce  so  much  truth  and  so  much  economy; 
but  when  you  send  your  boy  to  Phillips  Exeter,  for  two  years, 
and  Harvard  for  four — and  when  he  comes  back,  and  you  have 
to  support  him  the  rest  of  his  life,  you  cannot  say  that  there  is 
any  science  of  education. 

The  science  of  education  is  a  little  like  the  law  of  heredity. 
The  law  of  heredity  is  that  law  of  our  nature  that  provides  that 
a  man  shall  resemble  his  grandmother,  or  not,  as  the  case  may  be. 
(Laughter.) 

You  know,  and  I  know,  that  some  of  the  best  educated  men  in 
the  world  today  are  men  who  never  had  college  advantages ;  and  you 
know,  and  I  know,  that  the  men  who  have  struck  "thirteen"  in 


128 


every  department  of  human  endeavor  were  not  college  men.  What 
college  taught  Lincoln  the  art  of  statesmanship?  What  college 

of  art  taught  Rembrandt  how  to  mix  his  wonderful  colors the 

greatest  portrait  painter  the  world  has  ever  seen — dead  and 
turned  to  dust  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago,  and  we  cannot 
even  imitate  him  today.  What  college  of  oratory  taught  Ingersoll 
how  to  make  a  speech?  What  college  taught  John  Mitchell  how 
to  marshal  forth  and  influence  four  hundred  thousand  men — half 
a  million  men,  and  cause  them  to  march  on  and  on  to  human 
betterment — to  own  themselves?  (Applause.)  What  college 
taught  our  dear  friend  here,  how  to  set  a  million  men  learning 
the  Study  Habit?  Why,  these  men  were  self-taught;  and  every 
man  at  the  last,  who  has  an  education,  is  self-taught. 

The  Hope  of  the  World 

College  cannot  give  you  an  education.  You  can  send  your 
boy  to  college,  but  you  cannot  make  him  think.  There  is  a  dif- 
ference between  going  to  college  and  being  sent  to  college.  And 
the  hope  of  the  world  lies  in  this:  that  the  educated  men  of  the  world 
know  the  futility  and  the  foolishness  and  the  fallacy  of  so  much 
that  has  passed  for  education  in  the  days  gone  by. 

There  is  only  one  thing  you  can  be  dead  sure  of,  when  you 
send  your  boy  to  Harvard  or  Yale  or  Princeton  or  Dartmouth — 
only  one  thing  you  can  bet  on — and  that  is,  that  he  will  learn  to 
smoke  cigarettes.  That  is  one  of  the  habits  he  will  acquire  there — 
but  whether  he  acquires  the  Study  Habit  or  not,  is  the  problem 
you  have  got  to  leave  to  the  infallible  dice. 

Oh,  yes!  I  know;  this  is  all  "sour  grapes,"  isn't  it?  It  is  not, 
boys.  I  have  a  few  college  degrees  of  my  own,  and  I  usually  carry 
them  with  me,  like  my  friend  here  who  has  an  alphabet  behind 
his  name  on  the  program.  Yes,  sir;  he  acknowledges  it  himself. 
(Laughter.)  He  makes  no  endeavor  to  conceal  the  fact  that  he 
is  an  educated  man.  He  is  not  ashamed  of  it.  No,  sir;  look  on 
the  program.  (Laughter.) 

I  did  call  on  an  educated  man  the  other  day,  out  in  St.  Paul- 
Mr.  James  J.  Hill.  Mr.  James  J.  Hill,  when  he-was  forty-six  years 
of  age,  was  station  agent  in  St.  Paul.  He  was  earning  eighty-five 
dollars  a  month.  Now,  I  know  he  was  a  candidate  for  Oslerism, 
and  I  put  this  proposition  to  you  for  the  encouragement  of  the 
gentlemen  who  are  present  here  tonight,  who  are  also  candidates 
for  Oslerism.  When  Hill  was  forty-six  years  old  he  went  through 
bankruptcy. 


129 


Opportunity's  Anvil  Chorus 

Do  you  know  the  greatest  poem  ever  written  by  an  American — 
"Opportunity,"  written  by  John  J.  Ingalls,  of  Kansas?  They 
produce  everything  in  Kansas.  But  poetry  is  one  thing,  and  truth 
another.  The  burden  of  that  song  is  this:  that  opportunity 
knocks  once  at  each  man's  door.  That  is  poetry. 

I  don't  wonder  my  friend  wanted  to  prove  an  alibi.  Truth 
is  another  thing.  The  real  fact  is,  you  cannot  get  away  from 
opportunity  in  America.  When  he  knocks  at  your  door,  you  had 
better  get  up^  and  let  him  in,  or  your  panels  will  suffer.  Oppor- 
tunity waits  for  you  right  behind  the  corner  with  a  stuffed  club. 
You  cannot  get  away  from  opportunity.  The  only  way  is  to 
lie  right  down  and  die.  Where  would  the  International  Corre- 
spondence Schools  be  tonight,  I  wonder,  if  we  had  put  that  Oslerism 
idea  into  effect  sixteen  years  ago?  (Laughter.)  Our  President 
was  just  getting  going.  Sixty-odd  years  young.  Getting  old 
is  a  bad  habit,  and  you  want  to  acquire  good  habits,  boys,  and  if 
you  have  the  Study  Habit  you  are  in  the  line  of  fame.  Don't 
shed  any  tears  about  this  thing  of  college  education.  If  you 
get  an  education  in  college,  so  much  the  better;  that  is  all  that 
college  will  give  you.  Lots  of  persons  go  through  and  it  doesn't 
take  at  all. 

I  called  on  James  J.  Hill.  There  are  three  men  who  own 
five-eighths  of  the  railway  mileage  of  America.  This  does  not 
prove  they  are  good  and  virtuous  characters — it  proves  they  have 
money.  This  man  is  an  educated  man.  The  first  thing  he  said 
to  me  was  this:  "  I  have  been  wanting  to  see  you  for  some  time," 
and  I  was  just  like  this — all  goose  flesh,  you  know,  because  I  had 
a  very  delicate  errand  with  him.  I  wanted  a  pass  to  Seattle; 
and  waiting  in  the  entry  way  of  his  office  was  another  man,  and 
he  had  a  regular  alphabet  behind  his  name,  too,  with  titles  around 
and  across.  He  wanted  passes  to  Seattle. 

A  Man  With  the  Study  Habit 

And  the  great  man  said  to  me,  "  I  have  been  wanting  to  see 
you  for  some  time.  Why  on  earth  do  you  say  that  Rembrandt 
was  a  greater  painter  than  Rubens?  I  have  read  your  book. 
Not  one  of  those  paintings  you  mention  is  authentic."  He  knew 
the  Dutch  school  through  and  through.  I  had  written  a  book 
on  it — which  does  not  prove  that  I  know  anything  about  it,  because 
we  always  talk  most  about  things  we  know  least  of.  (Laughter.) 


130 


So  he  explained  it  to  me.  He  knows  the  Dutch  school  by 
heart.  He  has  the  best  collection  of  art  owned  by  a  private 
individual  in  America.  I  went  with  him  in  his  private  car  for  one 
day,  and  in  a  little  shelf  over  his  desk  he  has  a  collection  of  authors 
— Ruskin,  William  Morris,  Longfellow,  Emerson.  He  has  the 
Study  Habit.  He  is  finding  out  things;  and  while  we  were  in  the 
car,  a  man  came  in — one  of  the  smart  newspaper  fellows,  you 
know,  and  he  thought  he  would  puzzle  the  old  man  a  little.  He 
said,  "Mr.  Hill,  do  you  like  the  Black  Essex?"  He  thought 
Mr.  Hill  would  not  know  what  the  Black  Essex  is.  So  he  asked, 
"Do  you  like  the  Black  Essex?"  "Yes,"  replied  Mr.  Hill;  "I 
raise  them." 

"What  do  you  feed  them?" 

"  I  feed  them  ground  oats  and  meal." 

"  Wet  or  dry?" 

"Dry." 

"Well,"  said  the  fellow;  "Mr.  Hill,  do  you  not  know  it  takes 
a  pig  three  times  as  long  to  eat  dry  feed  as  wet?" 

"  I  know  that,  young  man;  but  what  do  you  figure  a  pig's  time 
is  worth  ? "  (Laughter.) 

The  Black  Essex  is  a  party  without  the  Study  Habit.  No 
difference  whether  he  eats  dry  feed  or  wet. 

I  know,  you  wonder  whether  I  got  the  pass. 

But  Mr.  James  J.  Hill  is  a  graduate  of  the  university  of  art. 
He  went  through  bankruptcy  at  forty-six.  But  so  wonderful  is 
this  web  of  life,  that  we  grow  by  antithesis.  Worse  than  this, 
he  was  born  in  Canada.  (Laughter.)  But  he  overcame  the 
handicap,  and  today  we  call  him  the  strongest  railroad  man  in 
America — this  man  that  hailed  from  Canada. 

Canada's  Strongest  Man 

But  just  to  even  things  up,  the  strongest  and  best  man  that 
Canada  has  was  born  in  Illinois.  He  had  the  felicity  to  be  born 
within  fifty  miles  of  where  I  was  born.  (Laughter.)  A  very 
wonderful  soil.  Sir  William  Van  Horn— country  boy,  yes.  He 
warmed  his  feet  on  October  mornings  where  the  cows  lay  down,  and 
the  fellow  that  has  not  done  that  has  got  to  go  back  and  get  the 
experience— in  another  incarnation.  He  learned  to  be  a  telegraph 
operator;  improved  his  time,  made  sketches  and  designs,  and 
became  a  very  proficient  artist.  Yes,  a  fellow  whose  canvasses 
had  a  market.  He  became  assistant  train-despatcher— train- 
despatcher,  general  freight  agent,  traffic  manager— Canada  wanted 
Sir  William  Van  Horn. 


131 


I  saw  him  two  years  ago.  What  do  you  think  he  was  doing? 
He  was  making  designs  for  a  book  his  daughter  had  written,  and 
he  just  for  the  fun  of  the  thing  was  using  his  brush  making  water 
colors;  a  man  with  a  universal,  all-around  education — a  man  who 
is  not  preparing  to  die,  put  who  is  preparing  to  live — an  educated 
man  with  the  Study  Habit. 

I  got  the  pass,  boys.  I  went  up  to  Butte.  They  told  me  of 
a  wonderful  girl.  They  said  she  was  a  genius.  I  have  never 
seen  a  genius,  and  I  have  looked  into  the  mirror  a  few  times. 
(Laughter.)  They  said,  "You  should  go  and  see  this  wonderful 
girl."  And  I  went.  I  rang  the  bell,  and  her  mother  came  to  the 
door.  "Mary  isn't  here;  she  has  gone  to  Boston  to  complete 
her  education."  I  wonder  if  she  really  thought  she  could  complete 
her  education  in  Boston.  If  so,  it  is  the  only  place  in  the  round 
world  where  you  can. 

Getting  Ready  for  Tomorrow 

There  was  a  man  who  used  to  talk  about  education,  who  knew 
about  as  much  about  it  as  I.  He  is  dead  now.  I  refer  to  the 
late  Socrates.  (Laughter.)  His  pupils  came  to  him  one  day  and 
said,  "Socrates,  what  kind  of  people  shall  we  be  in  Elysium?" 
"You  will  be  the  same  kind  of  people  in  Elysium  as  you  are  right 
here.  Yesterday  I  got  ready  for  today,  and  today  I  am  getting 
ready  for  tomorrow.  I  am  getting  ready  for  the  higher  growth. 
I  am  going  to  school.  If  there  is  another  world,  I  don't  know 
a  better  preparation  for  it  than  to  live  right  here  now." 

He  was  "getting  ready  for  a  better  job."  He  had  the  Study 
Habit. 

Now,  over  in  England  two  or  three  years  ago,  I  was  invited 
to  a  banquet;  and  I  was  seated  next  to  the  Earl  of  Yarmouth. 
We  were  both  getting  a  square  meal  for  nothing.  We  were  taking 
great  joy  in  our  work.  (Laughter.)  We  discussed  the  race  prob- 
lem ;  we  settled  the  coal  strike ;  and  finally  we  got  around  to  econom- 
ics, and  the  Earl  said  to  me:  "  In  America,  you  know,  in  America," 
he  says,  "you  have  no  leisure  classes."  I  said,  "Yes,  we  have; 
we  call  them  'hoboes '."  (Laughter.)  And  he  smiled,  and  I  smiled ; 
but  I  knew  what  I  was  smiling  at,  and  he  didn't  know  what 
he  was  smiling  at.  He  says,  "Very  droll,  most  amusing;  most 
amusing."  And  he  said,  "What  is  a  'obo?"  I  said,  "You're 
one."  (Laughter.)  Only  I  said  it  to  myself.  (Laughter.) 
I  knew  he  would  never  appreciate  it.  The  point  was  entirely 
too  subtle  for  him.  I  never  cast  my  jokes  before  swine.  But  it 


132 


just  came  to  me  that  he  was  a  hobo.  There  is  no  difference  or 
choice  between  him  and  "Weary  Willie  of  Pittsburg."  Well 
dressed ;  that  is  all  right ;  but  if  somebody  didn't  buy  him  clothes 
and  send  him  remittances,  in  a  little  while  he  would  be  wearing 
clothes  exactly  like  the  clothes  worn  by  men  of  the  hobo  class. 
It  is  just  a  mathematical  proposition.  He  lives  on  the  labor  of 
others,  on  the  labor  of  men  who  are  dead.  He  is  a  hobo. 

Civilization's  Problem  is  the  Study  Habit 

Yes !  And  the  problem  of  civilization  today  is  to  eliminate 
the  parasite.  We  live  in  the  richest  country  the  world  has  ever 
seen.  There  is  wealth  enough  for  everybody.  Yes,  and  there 
is  work  for  everybody,  and  there  is  not  too  much  work  for  any- 
body ;  if  everybody  would  work  a  little,  nobody  would  be  over- 
worked. No.  The  reason  of  some  people  having  to  work  from 
daylight  until  dark,  and  their  work  is  never  done,  is  because 
some  other  people  never  work  at  all. 

We  used  to  educate  men  who  didn't  work,  and  when  you 
talked  about  an  educated  man,  you  meant  a  man  that  didn't 
work.  And  when  you  talked  about  a  working  man,  you  meant 
a  man  who  had  no  education.  But  this  will  never  be  a  civilized 
country  until  every  man  works,  and  until  every  man  has  an  educa- 
tion— until  every  man  has  the  Study  Habit.  (Applause.) 


133 


NATHAN  C.  SCHAEFFER,  D.D.,  LL.D. 


THE  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 

NATHAN  C.  SCHAEFFER,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  Harriaburg,  Pa. 
MR.    TOASTMASTER   AND   GENTLEMEN! 

One  year  ago,  when  I  happened  to  be  in  San  Francisco,  about 
the  first  question  that  was  put  to  me  was,  "  What  do  you  know 
about  the  International  Correspondence  Schools  at  Scranton?" 
I  shall  not  tell  you  in  how  many  states  that  question  has  been  put 
to  me,  for  fear  that  you  might  find  out  how  much  of  a  "globe 
trotter"  I  am.  Sometimes  that  question  is  embarrassing,  espe- 
cially when  I  visit  a  city  that  has  a  correspondence  school  of  its 
own.  They  always  claim  that  their  school  is  the  "model"  corre- 
spondence school. 

Last  week  President  Foster  and  I  learned  the  application  of 
a  story  that  I  propose  to  use  hereafter.  A  gentleman  in  the  South 
was  introduced  as  a  model  toastmaster.  He  arose  and  said  that 
he  accepted  the  compliment  because  it  reminded  him  of  a  certain 
lady  in  his  own  city  who  was  visited  by  a  committee  of  the  Women's 
Club,  and  this  committee  informed  this  lady  that  she  had  the 
model  husband  of  the  city.  The  lady  was  very  much  surprised, 
but  when  the  committee  had  gone  she  turned  to  the  dictionary 
and  found  this  definition:  "Model,  a  small  imitation  of  the  real 
thing."  (Laughter.)  Now,  these  correspondence  schools  in  other 
cities  are  "models,"  but  Scranton  has  the  real  thing.  (Applause.) 

Scranton  to  the  Rescue 

This  is  not  the  first  time  that  Scranton  has  come  to  the  rescue 
of  the  public-school  men.  When  I  had  forty  mandamus  suits  at 
court  pending  against  me,  it  was  a  Scranton  lawyer  who  won  every 
one  of  them  for  me;  and  if  I  had  my  way  tonight,  that  Scranton 
lawyer,  instead  of  having  a  lower  limb  in  plaster  of  Paris,  would 
have  his  feet  under  million-dollar  mahogany  in  the  state  capitol. 
(Applause.)  I  cannot  refrain  from  wishing  for  the  speedy  recovery 
of  your  honored  fellow  citizen  in  Scranton,  Deputy  Attorney- 
General  Fleitz. 


135 


Another  Scranton  man,  some  years  ago,  came  to  the  rescue  of 
the  common-school  system.  The  two  greatest  problems  in  school 
administration  are:  first,  to  get  all  the  children  to  school;  and 
second,  to  get  good  teachers  into  all  the  schools.  Now,  it  was  a 
Scranton  member  of  the  lower  house  who  passed  the  first  law 
making  the  attendance  at  school  compulsory;  and  it  was  the  same 
member  from  Scranton  who  gave  us  our  free  textbook  law,  which 
makes  it  easy  for  the  laborer's  son  to  go  to  school,  and  through 
the  high  school.  And  I  want  to  say  that  Scranton  has  need  for 
its  Watres.  And  when  the  day  shall  come  that  you  Scranton 
people  will  make  your  famous  Watres  Governor  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  when  you  will  send  John  Farr  back  to  the  Senate,  then  you 
will  have  another  new  epoch  in  the  history  of  public-school 
education  in  Pennsylvania. 

I.  C.S.  — "I  See  Dollars" 

And  I  want  to  say  right  here,  that  the  establishment  of  the 
International  Correspondence  Schools  marked  an  epoch  in  the 
educational  development  of  Pennsylvania.  When  the  average 
Pennsylvania  boy  sees  those  letters,  I.  C.  S.,  he  puts  two  strokes 
through  the  letter  S,  and  then  it  reads,  "  I  see  dollars."  (Applause.) 
There  is  a  time  in  the  life  of  the  average  boy  when  he  holds  the 
almighty  dollar  so  close  to  his  eyes  that  he  can  see  nothing  else 
in  God's  universe,  and  it  is  then  that  he  wishes  to  quit  school, 
and  often  does  quit  school.  Sometimes  it  is  dire  necessity 
that  makes  the  boy  quit  school.  And  it  is  then,  after  he  has 
tried  the  hard  knocks  of  the  world,  that  he  begins  to  see  that 
these  letters  "I.  C.  S. "  stand  for  "International  Correspondence 
Schools,"  and  that  he  can  make  more  dollars  by  taking  Courses 
in  that  School. 

In  other  words,  the  multitude  of  boys  and  of  girls  who  are 
obliged  to  quit  the  public  school  too  early  can  supplement  their 
education  by  what  these  Schools  offer  to  them. 

Prepares  for  Higher  Lives 

Now,  I  should  not  be  satisfied  if  the  public  schools  should  do 
no  more  than  hold  the  dollar  before  the  eye  of  the  boy  or  the 
girl.  Dollars  alone  never  can  make  life  worth  living.  If  you  are 
rich,  you  may  buy  a  fine  house,  but  you  cannot  buy  a  happy 
home.  That  must  be  made  by  you  and  by  her  who  occupies  it 
with  you.  If  you  are  rich,  you  may  buy  a  splendid  copy  of  Shake- 
speare; but  the  ability  to  enjoy  a  play  of  Shakespeare — that  is 


136 


the  result  of  schooling,  of  study,  of  education,  and  when  the 
International  Correspondence  Schools  of  Scranton  develop  in  a  boy 
the  power  to  study,  they  make  him  fit  to  enjoy  the  things  of  the 
higher  life  in  the  direction  of  thought;  for  after  all,  our  public 
schools  are  a  failure  if  they  don't,  as  the  result  of  their  teaching, 
make  the  boy  able  to  think  the  best  thoughts  of  the  best  men, 
as  these  are  enshrined  in  literature — make  the  boys  and  the  girls 
able  to  think  the  thoughts  which  God  has  put  into  the  starry 
heavens  above  and  into  all  nature  around  us. 

Now,  in  one  respect,  these  Correspondence  Schools  differ  from 
our  high  schools  and  our  colleges.  They  have  no  football,  and  no 
baseball,  and  no  highball,  and  no  evening  ball.  (Laughter.)  They 
seem  to  mean  business,  study,  work,  in  the  direction  of  the  acqui- 
sition of  knowledge,  and  the  development  of  technical  power. 
Now,  in  one  respect  my  friend  Mr.  Foster  and  I  differ  very  radi- 
cally. Perhaps  I  can  best  tell  you  the  difference  by  giving  you 
an  experience  of  mine — there  is  a  friend  of  mine  in  this  audience 
who  vowed  that  he  would  give  me  no  peace  this  side  of  purgatory, 
if  I  didn't  tell  that  experience  tonight.  One  day,  one  of  my  little 
girls  came  home  from  school,  and  she  said,  "Papa,  who  is  richer; 
a  man  with  seven  children,  or  a  man  with  a  hundred  thousand 
dollars?"  Well,  we  have  reached  the  sacred  number  of  seven  in 
my  house;  I  have  a  sort  of  a  Rooseveltian  family.  "Of  course," 
I  said,  "the  man  with  seven  children."  "Why?"  asked  the 
youngster,  and  then  the  daddy  was  stuck.  In  my  despair,  I  at 
last  turned  to  the  child  and  said — an  eleven-year-old-girl — "Well, 
why  do  you  think  that  a  man  with  seven  children  is  richer  than 
a  man  with  a  hundred  thousand  dollars?"  And  quick  as  a  flash 
she  replied,  "A  man  with  a  hundred  thousand  dollars  wants  more, 
and  a  man  with  seven  children  has  enough."  (Laughter.) 

Now,  my  friend  President  Foster  claims  to  have  nine  hundred 
thousand  students,  and  he  has  not  enough.  He  wants  more. 

Education  in  Pennsylvania 

When  I  was  at  Richmond  some  years  ago,  I  boasted  that  in 
Pennsylvania  we  have  a  university  that  counts  its  buildings  by 
tens,  its  professors  by  hundreds,  its  students  by  thousands,  its 
endowment  by  millions— and  I  added  that  we  have  thirty  thousand 
teachers,  and  over  a  million  pupils  in  the  schools.  When  I  made 
that  statement  a  Massachusetts  Yankee  turned  to  one  of  my 
friends  and  said,  "Does  he  mean  it,  or  is  the  Dutchman  lying?" 
(Laughter.) 


137 


The  average  Massachusetts  Yankee  can  form  no  conception  of 
the  grandeur  of  the  population  of  the  great  state  of  Pennsylvania. 
We  have  today  over  eleven  hundred  thousand  children  in  the 
public  schools,  and  we  have  almost  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
more  in  our  parochial  schools.  I  am  afraid,  however,  that  if 
these  Correspondence  Schools  keep  on  awhile  longer,  they  will 
have  more  students  than  we  have.  But  as  long  as  this  Institution 
helps  the  boys  and  the  girls  to  continue  their  education  from  the 
point  where  our  work  for  them  ended,  we  shall  wish  it  all  progress 
and  prosperity. 

My  ten  minutes  are  almost  up ;  and  I  know  of  no  better  way  of 
closing  this  speech,  than  by  applying  a  motto  that  became  familiar 
to  my  ears  in  my  university  days — applying  that  motto  to  your 
Correspondence  Schools  here  at  Scranton.  In  my  university  days, 
I  used  to  hear  three  Latin  words:  "  Vivat,  crescat,  floreat."  And 
I  say  of  the  Correspondence  Schools  at  Scranton,  may  they  live, 
and  grow,  and  flourish."  (Applause.) 


138 


JOHN  MITCHELL 


EDUCATION :  THE  WAGE  EARNER'S 
OPPORTUNITY 

JOHN  MITCHELL 

President  United  Mine   Workers  of  A  merica,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 
Mr.   TOASTMASTER  AND  GENTLEMEN: 

I  esteem  it  a  very  great  privilege  to  have  this  opportunity 
of  paying  my  humble  tribute  to  the  distinguished  gentleman 
who  founded  these  great  Schools,  and  to  his  associates  who  have 
developed  them  to  their  present  magnificent  proportions.  I 
have  carefully  watched  the  growth  of  these  Schools,  and  I  am 
familiar  with  their  splendid  accomplishments.  Possibly  there 
is  no  class  of  workmen  who  have  *profited  more,  or  who  have 
needed  their  advantages  more,  than  the  people  whom  I  have 
the  honor  to  serve.  I  have  known  hundreds  and  hundreds  of 
men  denied  the  opportunity  of  early  education,  who  have  grown 
to  manhood,  illiterate  and  ignorant,  ashamed  to  confess  their 
illiteracy,  ashamed  to  reveal  their  ignorance  by  attending  the 
night  schools;  these  men  by  scholarships  in  the  International 
Correspondence  Schools  have  secured  a  good  general  and  technical 
education,  and  now  hold  positions  of  profit  and  responsibility. 

Problem  of  Labor  is  Education 

Another  thing  inseparable  from  the  great  problem  of  labor 
is  the  education  of  the  workingman.  That  we  have  a  labor  problem 
in  our  country  cannot  be  denied.  That  this  problem  must  be 
solved  by  the  workingmen  themselves  is  undoubtedly  true.  That 
it  cannot  be  solved  by  the  ignorant  or  illiterate,  I  believe  all  men 
will  agree.  This  problem  of  capital  and  labor,  this  relationship 
of  the  employer  to  the  employe,  must  be  solved  by  the  enlightened, 
educated  intelligence  of  the  workingman.  I  am  one  of  those  who 
believe  that  education  makes  men  intelligent  and  sanely  discon- 
tented; and  I  hope  the  time  may  never  come,  when  the  working 
people  of  our  country,  or  indeed  of  the  world,  will  become  blindly 
discontented,  or  will  become  sullenly  contented.  I  believe  that 
the  welfare  of  the  wage-earning  class,  I  believe  that  the  perpetuity 


140 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 


of  free  government,  I  believe  that  the  progress  of  the  human 
race,  depend  upon  the  intelligent  discontent  of.  all  the  people. 
I  do  not  mean  the  discontent  that  makes  men  and  women  do 
things  that  are  wrong,  nor  want  things  they  should  not  have; 
I  mean  that  discontent  that  makes  men  and  women  strive  and 
seek  for  more  of  the  good  things  of  this  world — makes  men  and 
women  seek  for  higher  life,  for  more  happiness,  for  better  homes, 
for  better  manhood  and  womanhood,  and  for  better  civilization. 

That  is  the  discontent  inculcated  by  education ;  and  I  am  firm 
in  my  own  opinion,  that  the  problem  of  labor  will  not  be  solved, 
until  all  the  people  of  our  country  shall  enjoy  the  advantages  of 
reasonable  education. 

There  is  one  phase  of  this  labor  problem  that  is  causing  the 
wage  earners  much  concern.  In  our  country  we  have  free  schools 
that  the  children  may  attend.  We  have  night  schools  where  the 
grown  boys  may  secure  education;  but  each  year  there  come  to 
our  shores  hundreds  of  thousands  of  men  from  other  climes,  who 
know  not  our  language,  who  in  most  cases  are  totally  illiterate, 
and  we  must  at  some  time  or  other,  make  suitable  appropriation 
and  provision  for  educating  them.  I  believe,  although  this  is 
somewhat  foreign  to  the  subject  of  this  gathering,  I  believe  that 
our  government  should  require  certain  educational  qualifications 
as  a  condition  of  admission  to  our  country.  (Applause.) 

In  fixing  these  standards  I  would  not  bar  any  man  because 
of  the  country  from  which  he  came,  nor  would  I  require  that  he 
be  educated  in  the  language  we  speak;  but  I  would  require  that 
every  man  landing  on  our  shores,  should  be  able  to  read  and 
write  the  language  of  the  country  from  which  he  came.  If  he 
were  reasonably  educated  in  the  language  and  in  the  country 
from  which  he  came,  it  would  not  be  long  before  he  would  learn 
our  language  and  measure  up  to  our  standards.  (Applause.) 

Gentlemen,  it  is  difficult  to  consider  the  International  Corre- 
spondence Schools  as  a  purely  commercial  enterprise.  To  me 
it  has  seemed  rather  to  be  a  great  philanthropic  institution.  Men 
from  one  end  of  our  country  to  the  other  are  enjoying  the  advan- 
tages of  education.  The  opportunities  offered  to  them  now  differ 
so  much  from  the  opportunities  afforded  us  when  we  were  boys. 
I  have  often  thought  that  if  I  could  have  had  the  opportunity 
of  a  Course  in  the  Correspondence  Schools  when  I  was  a  boy,  it 
would  have  saved  me  many  and  many  a  sleepless  night. 

I  hope  that  these  Schools  will  continue  their  splendid  work, 
that  their  students  will  increase  in  numbers,  so  that  every  one  who 
desires  to,  may  be  given  the  advantage  of  education.  (Applause.) 


141 


HON.  H.  M.  EDWARDS 


THE  I.  C.  S.  AT  HOME 

HON.  H.  M.  EDWARDS 

President  Judge  of  Lackavanna  Countu  Courts,  Scranton,  Pa. 
MR.    TOASTMASTER  AND  GENTLEMEN! 

I  want  to  greet  you  at  this  early  hour  in  the  morning,  with 
my  very  best  wishes,  because  this  great  Institution,  the  Interna- 
tional Correspondence  Schools,  is  a  Scranton  institution.  It  is 
my  distinguished  privilege  to  say  a  few  words — and  they  will  be 
but  very  few,  on  account  of  the  lateness  of  the  hour — as  to  this 
great  Institution. 

I  have  been  looking  up  some  of  the  facts  connected  with  the 
I.  C.  S.,  and  I  have  been  bewildered  by  statistics.  I  don't  know 
how  much  money  these  Schools  pay  to  the  post  office  every  month 
or  every  year.  Is  it  a  hundred  thousand  dollars,  or  is  it  a  million 
dollars  in  a  year  ?  How  many  students  have  they  ?  Is  it  a  hundred 
thousand,  or  is  it  a  million?  Whatever  Mr.  Foster  says  it  is, 
whether  he  says  it  here  on  this  platform,  or  whether  he  says  it 
in  circulars  and  in  books,  I  am  ready  to  believe  anything  that  can 
be  said  about  the  International  Correspondence  Schools  of  Scranton. 
I  have  great  faith  in  them.  And- no  statement  can  be  made  by 
the  founder  of  this  Institution  and  by  his  coworkers,  that  I  will 
not  believe.  You  can  call  it  faith,  you  can  call  it  credulity,  you 
can  call  it  loving  favoritism — call  it  whatever  you  like — but  what- 
ever you  call  it,  I  am  guilty;  and  there  is  no  statement  that  can 
be  made  that  I  will  not  say  "Amen"  to. 

I  am  like  the  preacher  whose  boys  found  out  what  chapter  he 
was  going  to  read  the  next  morning,  and  they  glued  two  leaves 
together.  And  the  preacher  the  next  morning — Sunday  morning 
—began  reading  thus:  "  When  Noah  was  one  hundred  and  twenty 
years  old,  he  took  unto  himself  a  wife,  who  was"  and  then  he 
turned  the  leaves  that  had  been  glued  together:  "one  hundred 
and  forty  cubits  long,  forty  cubits  wide,  built  of  gopher  wood, 
and  covered  with  pitch,  inside  and  out."  (Laughter.)  The 
preacher  looked  and  tried  to  verify  it ;  looked  again,  and  then  said, 
"Why,  I  never  knew  that  was  in  the  Bible,  but  it's  here,  and 
I  take  it  as  an  evidence  of  the  assertion  that  we  are  fearfully  and 
wonderfully  made."  (Laughter.) 


143 


And  so  it  is  with  me,  gentlemen:  I  have  got  as  much  faith  and 
as  much  credulity  and  as  much  enthusiasm  in  this  Institution  as 
that  preacher  had  in  the  Good  Book.  I  have  very  little  use  for 
the  man  who  has  not  brought  to  his  home  city,  to  his  own  town, 
to  his  own  state,  to  his  own  country,  to  his  own  fellow  men,  of  the 
good  things  that  touch  the  edges,  the  rims  of  life. 

Why,  I  know  a  man  that  was  proud  even  of  being  a  member 
of  the  House  of  Representatives  at  Harrisburg.  It  was  his  first 
term.  (Laughter.)  The  House  was  everything;  the  Senate  was 
of  no  account.  His  wife  woke  him  up  one  night,  and  said,  "John, 
John,  there  are  burglars  in- the  house."  "Oh,  no,  no,  Mary;  there 
may  be  burglars  in  the  Senate,  but  there  are  none  in  the  House." 

And  so  we  are  proud  of  this  home  Institution  of  ours.  We  are 
proud  of  its  founder.  We  are  proud  of  his  coworkers;  and  we 
are  proud  of  his  army  in  the  field,  many  of  whom  we  see  before 
us  here  tonight.  Why,  the  story  of  the  growth  of  the  I.  C.  S.  is 
like  a  tale  from  the  Arabian  Nights.  And  if  I  had  time  tonight 
as  I  had  intended,  providing  that  the  speaking  had  not  been  so 
long,  or  we  were  not  detained  so  late — I  would  have  said  something 
in  that  direction.  There  is,  however,  one  sentiment  that  I  want 
to  impress  strongly  tonight  upon  the  gentlemen  on  this  platform, 
gentlemen  of  learning  and  position  from  other  cities  and  from 
other  states.  When  they  go  back  to  their  homes  they  will  remem- 
ber many  things  about  the  city  of  Scranton,  about  its  streets  and 
buildings,  about  its  mines  and  industries,  about  its  water  system 
and  its  electric  system,  about  its  churches  and  its  public  schools. 

Opened  the  Door  of  Opportunity 

They  will  remember  probably  some  of  these  things;  but  if  they 
forget  all  else,  I  want  them  to  remember  one  thing,  and  that  is, 
that  the  I.  C.  S.  has  opened  the  door  of  opportunity  for  the  sons 
and  daughters  of  miners  and  mechanics  and  other  wage  earners, 
to  make  of  themselves  respected,  self-respecting  men  and  women; 
and  it  is  for  that  reason  mainly  that  we  glory  in  the  International 
Correspondence  Schools  of  Scranton.  (Applause.) 

These  young  people  are  growing  up  with  this  Institution,  are 
becoming  a  part  of  it,  and  are  enjoying  the  delectable  line  of 
knowledge  and  intellectual  pleasure.  Therefore  all  honor  to  the 
founder  of  this  Institution  and  to  his  coworkers.  "May  he  live 
long,  and  prosper,"  as  Joe  Jefferson  used  to  say.  One  thing  at 
least  is  certain — that  he  and  his  coworkers  are  building  a  monument 
that  will  endure  long  after  the  walls  of  the  present  I.  C.  S.  buildings 
will  have  crumbled  into  dust.  (Applause.) 


144 


COLONEL  CHARLES  W.  LARNED,  U.  S.  A. 


CONSTRUCTIVE  EDUCATION 

COL.  CHARLES  W.  LARNED,  U.  S.  A. 

Professor  of  Technical  and  Military  Graphics  and  Applied  Geometry, 
United  States  Military  Academy,  West  Point,  N.  Y. 

MR.  PRESIDENT  AND  GENTLEMEN: 

As  your  eloquent  editor  who  addressed  you  this  morning 
remarked,  I  have  been  asked  to  "butt  in"  among  my  betters. 
It  seems  to  me  something  of  an  impertinence  that  I  should  address 
you  after  you  have  listened  to  so  many  distinguished  speakers. 

I  have  learned  so  much  this  evening  from  the  genial  "Goliath 
of  the  Philistine"  who  has  preceded  me,  that  I  am  very  glad,  as  a 
military  man,  to  be  a  "Philistine"  myself;  and  I  sincerely  trust 
there  is  no  academic  David  present  here  to  hit  me  in  the  eye  with 
a  pebble  of  exact  thought. 

I  have  also  learned  so  much  wisdom  from  the  noble  advocate 
of  wage  earners  who  has  preceded  me,  that  I  am  very  glad  I  am  a 
wage  earner  myself,  although  in  soldier  clothes.  And  I  am  very 
grateful  to  you  this  evening,  that  you  have  not  ordered  me  out, 
although  I  took  the  precaution  to  appear  in  civilian  garments 
before  you.  It  is  usual  for  the  American  public  to  request  gentle- 
men in  soldier  clothes  to  disappear  on  public  occasions. 

Constructing  Opportunity  for  the  Masses 

As  a  mere  military  pedagogue  from  the  school  of  war  at  West 
Point  and  the  Hills  of  the  Hudson,  I  feel  somewhat  out  of  place  in 
addressing  a  community  whose  interests  are  so  much  allied  to  the 
arts  of  peace  as  are  yours.  A  military  school  is  always  on  the 
defensive  in  a  civil  community.  A  military  school  is  occupied  with 
the  arts  of  destruction  instead  of  construction.  The  school  at 
whose  feet  I  am  sitting  this  evening,  is  preeminently  concerned  in 
the  arts  of  construction.  You  are  concerned  in  the  arts  of  con- 
struction, because  you  are  constructing  the  intelligence  upon  the 
brawn  and  sinews  of  our  land,  because  you  are  constructing  oppor- 
tunity for  the  wage  earners  of  this  country. 

The  military  academy  at  West  Point  is  concerned,  as  I  have 
said,  with  destruction — but  not  altogether.  The  two  twin  military 
schools  of  this  country,  Annapolis  and  West  Point,  are  in  one  respect 


146 


constructive.  They  are  constructive  in  regard  to  the  forma- 
tion of  character.  As  great  character  institutions,  I  think  that 
perhaps  they  have  no  superior  in  all  the  world.  The  character 
which  these  schools  endeavor  to  construct  is  the  character  whose 
elements  are  first  of  all,  patriotism;  second,  integrity;  third,  truth- 
telling;  fourth,  discipline;  fifth,  simplicity  of  life;  next,  perhaps, 
unselfishness;  and  last  of  all,  the  merits  of  poverty.  It  is  the 
privilege  of  the  American  soldier  and  sailor  to  remain  poor  in  the 
community  where  opportunity  for  wealth  lies  profusely  about  us 
on  all  sides. 

Perhaps  the  construction  in  which  we  are  engaged,  will  be  an 
apology  for  our  existence,  which  the  country  sometime  may  be 
willing  to  accept  at  its  face  value.  I  think  these  elements  of  con- 
struction are  of  value  to  any  community,  civil  or  military,  and 
that  perhaps  in  an  age  in  which  the  arts  of  gain  are  predominant, 
these  elements  of  simplicity  of  character  and  integrity  of  life — • 
which  are  all  a  soldier  has  to  hope  for — may  prove  of  as  much  value 
to  our  great  community  as  the  arts  of  gain. 

My  Commanding  Officer,  the  Superintendent  of  the  Military 
Academy,  who  is  present  with  us  tonight,  and  who  ought  to  occupy 
my  place  in  addressing  you,  has  faced  the  Apaches  in  Arizona; 
he  has  faced  the  Spaniards  at  Santiago;  he  has  faced  the  Moros  in 
the  Philippines ;  but  it  has  been  reserved  for  him  to  be  appalled  by 
a  community  of  pedagogues  and  students  in  Scranton. 

As  I  well  knew  the  diffidence  and  timidity  of  his  character 
before  I  came,  I  knew  that  I  should  be  left  to  face  alone  the  fero- 
cious hospitality  of  the  International  Correspondence  Schools,  so 
that  in  mere  self-defence,  before  I  came,  I  armed  myself  with  a 
few  "impromptu"  remarks,  which  I  put  in  my  pocket,  as  on 
previous  occasions  I  have  found  necessary  in  order  to  defend  my 
life  under  similar  conditions.  There  is  only  a  little  of  these  remarks, 
so  I  will  assuage  your  anxiety,  and  if  you  will  permit  me  to  draw 
my  gun,  I  will  read  to  you.  (Applause.)  They  are,  as  you  will 
observe,  wholly  "impromptu."  (Laughter.) 

Progressive  Vitality  of  the  I.  C.  S. 

Both  as  an  educator  and  as  a  man  I  am  profoundly  interested 
in  the  work  of  this  great  School.  As  an  educator  I  see  in  its  proc- 
esses very  much  that  is  admirable  as  well  as  unique,  and  in  the 
accumulated  experience  of  its  dealings  with  a  vast  variety  of 
intelligences  seeking  knowledge  under  adverse  conditions  of 
development  and  opportunity,  it  has  many  lessons  to  teach  insti- 
tutional education.  The  most  inspiring  feature  of  its  methods 


147 


seems  to  me  to  reside  in  its  vigorous  and  progressive  vitality. 
They  are  not  only  theoretically  practical,  but  are  intimately  and 
directly  associated  throughout  the  whole  range  of  industrial 
activity  with  living  interests  which  react  upon  them  and  keep  them 
sympathetically  adjusted  to  human  needs  and  accomplishment. 
In  this  the  Correspondence  Schools  possess  an  immense  advan- 
tage over  academic  institutions,  and  on  account  of  it  their  methods 
have  a  flexibility,  a  power  of  securing  a  high  degree  of  intelligent 
achievement  by  a  large  percentage  of  their  students,  and  a  quality 
of  up-to-dateness  that  in  technical  instruction  is  of  the  highest 
importance.  I  understand  that  this  Institution  is  frankly  one 
for  imparting  knowledge  and  not  at  all  to  the  same  degree  a  school 
for  the  training  of  intellect  and  the  development  of  mental  powers, 
which  function  the  wholly  elective  nature  of  your  system  renders 
subordinate.  Its  effects  in  mental  training  are  incidental  only 
and  not  primary.  Your  clientele  wants  knowledge  for  use  and 
not  for  gymnastics,  and  your  function  in  providing  it  is  in  the 
highest  degree  important  and  beneficial,  and  the  mental  training 
incident  thereto  gives  also  much  exercise  to  the  intellectual  powers 
of  thousands  who  cannot  enter  the  educational  gymnasia  for  pure 
mind-development. 

Splendid  Material  in  Student  Body 

In  another  regard  your  system  has  a  great  advantage.  I  refer 
to  the  attitude  of  the  student  body  toward  their  work.  You  deal 
with  those  who  seek  because  they  desire,  and  you  thus  eliminate 
the  element  of  reluctance,  apathy,  and  evasion  which  constitute 
the  curse  of  education.  Something  of  this  may  be  offset  by  the 
loss  of  the  stimulus  of  competition  and  association;  but  after  all, 
these  latter  are  only  makeshifts  to  secure  as  much  as  possible  of 
the  very  quality  of  interest  which  you  possess  as  a  natural  attribute 
of  your  students ;  and  the  desire  to  know  for  the  sake  of  knowledge 
is  always  an  immensely  higher  motive  than  the  desire  to  surpass 
others.  As  a  feature  of  your  methods,  I  also  highly  indorse  the 
process  of  development  of  your  textbooks. 

In  all  the  applied  science,  textual  instruction  is  ever  in  a  state 
of  flux  and  transition.  The  temptation  to  write  dogmatic  text- 
books and  gospels  of  science  is  one  to  which  the  professional  mind 
is  prone  to  succumb.  No  sooner  is  the  pedagogic  brain  delivered 
of  its  child  than  its  offspring  begins  to  degenerate.  Both  the 
author  and  the  publisher  are  interested  in  preserving  and  defending 
the  integrity  of  the  text;  the  one  from  pride,  and  the  other  from 
profit,  so  that  obsolete  processes  and  deductions  are  often  retained 


148 


in  instruction  to  the  detriment  of  the  student  long  after  they  should 
have  given  place  to  advanced  thought. 

One  is  almost  tempted  to  accept  the  paradox  that  textual 
instruction  should  be  without  textbooks.  But  your  method  of 
pamphlet  issue  by  which  your  textbooks  are  built  up  of  relatively 
small  integral  parts,  any  one  of  which  may  be  wholly  withdrawn, 
or  recast,  from  time  to  time,  and  kept  abreast  with  the  latest 
discovery,  makes  your  books  living  and  growing  organisms. 

Great  Industrial  College 

But  after  all  it  is  as  a  man  that  I  am  most  interested  in  your 
work — your  function  as  a  great  industrial  and  trade  college.  It  is 
your  relation  to  the  vast  body  of  hand  and  industrial  workers  that 
appeals  to  me.  It  is  the  fact  that  your  students  are  nearly  all  of 
the  great  army  of  wealth  creators,  the  wage  earners — the  pro- 
ducers of  a  luxury  enjoyed  by  others,  and  the  promoters  of  an 
immense  industrial  development  whose  fruit  is  not  theirs.  The 
crying  need  of  trade  schools  is  one  of  the  greatest  of  our  require- 
ments in  view  of  the  decay  and  virtual  extinction  of  the  apprentice 
system.  Correlatively  exists  the  demand  for  an  industrial  and 
technical  college  system  which  is  in  reach  of  the  proletariat  and  the 
active  wage  earner  everywhere.  This  latter  function  I  conceive 
you  fill  with  admirable  results. 

It  lends  a  splendid  dignity  to  any  institution  of  learning  that 
it  is  feeding  the  minds  of  the  earners  of  the  land,  and  that  its  under- 
graduates and  alumni  are  of  a  type  that  dedicate  their  hours  of 
hard-earned  rest  and  pleasure  to  the  acquisition  of  knowledge. 
The  contrast  between  the  grim  earnestness  of  such  a  student  body 
and  the  frivolous  idling  of  collegiate  youth  is  a  contemplation 
pregnant  with  serious  thought.  You  are  educating  many  of  those 
who  are  to  control  the  social  destinies  of  the  twentieth  century. 
The  issues  behind  which  are  standing  the  immense  masses,  so  many 
of  whom  are  seeking  your  aid,  are  not  to  be  ignored,  belittled,  or 
evaded.  As  sure  as  the  rising  of  the  sun,  as  logical  as  a  mathe- 
matical demonstration,  is  the  progress  of  social  regeneration 
which  is  the  issue  of  the  century  before  us;  and  on  the  intelligence, 
the  forbearance,  the  self-restraint  of  the  industrial  classes  depend 
the  nature  and  degree  of  progress  of  the  changes  in  society  which 
our  children  and  our  children's  children  are  to  witness. 

To  be  essentially  the  academy  of  such  men  is  to  hold  a  position 
of  preeminent  importance  in  society,  while  to  perform  the  duties 
of  such  a  trust  with  fidelity  and  a  high  degree  of  successful  achieve- 
ment is  an  honor  second  to  none  in  the  educational  world. 


149 


RT.  REV.  ETHELBERT  TALBOT,  D.D.,  LL.D. 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 


EDUCATION  AND  MORAL  REFORM 

RT.  REV.  ETHELBERT  TALBOT.  D.D.,  LL.D. 

Bishop  of  Central  Pennsylvania,  South  Bethlehem,  Pa. 
MR.  TOASTMASTER  AND  GENTLEMEN: 

The  hour  is  very  late,  but  it  seems  to  me  eminently  fitting  that 
as  we  have  just  heard  very  strong  and  manly  and,  I  may  say, 
Christian  words  from  a  man  whose  business  it  is  to  teach  men  how 
to  fight,  that  we  should  hear  at  least  one  word  from  those  whose 
business  it  is  to  teach  men  the  gentle  way  of  peace. 

The  peculiar  glory,  it  seems  to  me,  of  the  Institution  we  are 
commemorating  tonight,  and  whose  marvelous  success  is  the  glory 
of  the  country — its  peculiar  glory  is  that  it  dignifies  the  art  of  the 
individual. 

The  Honor  of  Labor 

If  you  will  study  history  intelligently,  you  will  find  that  the 
dignity  of  the  individual  man  has  been  growing  steadily  for  just 
about  nineteen  hundred  and  six  years,  and  that  it  had  its  start 
in  the  advent  on  this  earth  of  a  man  who  was  the  most  unique  and 
indefatigable  worker,  the  most  honest  laborer,  the  world  has  ever 
seen.  Before  the  advent  of  the  Great  Lover  of  Mankind,  work  was 
reserved  for  slaves  and  criminals.  He  came  into  the  world  as  a 
laborer.  He  said  "  My  father  has  been  working  all  along,  and  I 
work."  He  made  labor  honorable.  He  filled  it  full  of  moral 
beauty.  He  gave  it  virtues  of  an  infinite  character.  And  it  seems 
to  me,  gentlemen,  we  ought  to  honor  the  founder  of  this  Institution, 
if  for  no  other  reason,  because  he  has  opened  the  doors  of  both 
privilege  and  opportunity  to  thousands  and  thousands  of  men  in 
our  country  who  without  his  efforts  would  never  know  of  these 
things.  It  seems  to  me  it  is  his  peculiar  distinction  and  his  peculiar 
honor,  with  which  we  can  all  sympathize.  The  fact  is,  labor  has 
become  the  one  great  characteristic  and  honor  of  this  century  in 
which  you  and  I  are  living.  It  has  become,  indeed,  the  mark  of 
this  great  American  Republic. 

The  world  has  never  seen  such  great  industrial  enterprises,  or 
such  magnificent  schools,  as  we  find  here  on  this  American  continent. 


151 


And  you  also  observe,  we  are  living  in  an  age  of  most  distinct  and 
critical  and  acute  moral  reformation.  Have  you  ever  thought 
that  underneath  all  these  attempts  at  municipal  purity  and  political 
purity  and  the  purification  of  the  trusts  and  these  great  industrial 
reforms — have  you  noticed  that  underneath  all  is  the  great  ethical 
principle?  Did  you  notice  what  our  friend  from  West  Point  said, 
that  the  Government  is  trying  to  give  to  the  average  military 
man — he  laid  great  emphasis  on  the  basic  principles — moral  and 
religious  principles,  without  which  in  his  conception,  no  real 
soldier  is  fit?  And  it  seems  to  me  we  have  every  reason,  there- 
fore, to  congratulate  ourselves,  not  only  because  of  the  great 
industrial  progress  of  this  age — I  see  nothing  whatever  to  be  afraid 
of  in  it — but  also  because  of  the  enormous  strife  of  the  scientific 
problems  of  this  age. 

Glorifies  the  Laborer's  Life 

Some  one  has  intimated  tonight,  and  it  is  the  absolute  truth, 
that  science  bases  everything  upon  truth.  He  might  have  said 
eternal  truth.  Science  welcomes  all  truth,  and  if  there  is  anything 
in  this  world  of  ours  that  ought  to  welcome  truth  on  every  side, 
from  every  possible  avenue  where  it  can  pour  out,  it  is  religion. 
Religion  that  is  afraid  of  truth  and  science  and  investigation — 
religion  that  does  not  recognize  that  all  truth  comes  from  God, 
the  incarnation  of  truth,  is  not  a  religion  to  command  the  respect 
of  American  citizens.  There  are  no  high  arches  in  this  great 
design.  There  is  such  an  Institution  as  this  here,  to  which  you 
and  I  are  engaged  tonight  in  doing  honor.  It  seems  to  me  the  true 
fact  that  it  does  give  the  individual  man,  poor  and  handicapped 
as  he  may  be  by  the  conditions  of  life,  the  power  not  only  to  labor, 
but  to  make  his  labor  count  to  the  highest  possible  profit. 

And  gentlemen,  lawyers  work  for  a  living,  when  you  come  to 
this  matter  of  labor;  the  man  who  works,  who  labors  with  his 
brains,  may  become  just  as  indefatigable  a  worker  and  as  real  a 
benefactor  to  his  race,  and  as  high  and  noble  a  product  of  our 
American  citizenship,  as  the  man  who  works  with  his  hands.  All 
labor  is  divine. 

Therefore  it  is,  I  think,  that  we  can  all  agree  in  paying  tribute 
to  our  venerable  friend  who  has  called  us  here  together  tonight 
in  order  that  we  may  witness  and  realize  the  great  work  that  has 
been  done,  not  by  him  alone,  but  by  him  in  connection  with  his 
associates,  in  spreading  the  knowledge  of  science  and  of  inde- 
pendence and  the  produce  of  the  brain,  not  only  through  this 
Republic,  but  among  the  nations  of  the  earth. 


152 


Monumental  Work  of  the  I.  C.  S. 

Over  the  north  entrance  to  the  great  cathedral  of  St.  Paul's,  in 
London,  is  a  tablet  commemorating  the  work  of  Sir  Christopher 
Wren,  the  great  architect.  The  tablet  bears  the  inscription, 
"Si  nwnumentum  requiris,  circumspice"  —"If  thou  seekest  his 
monument,  look  around  thee."  So,  if  you  would  see  the  monument 
of  our  venerable  friend,  just  look  around  you.  Not  all  men  live  to 
see  the  outcome  of  their  prayers  and  their  aspirations.  I  con- 
gratulate my  friend  that  he  is  not  only  here,  but  is  hale  and  hearty, 
with  his  faculties  unabated,  with  his  vision  still  clear  and  radiant; 
that  he  is  here  to  enjoy  the  success  of  the  Schools,  which  he  so 
largely  deserves. 

I  happen  to  have  the  pleasure  and  honor  of  sitting  by  the  side 
of  his  pastor  here  tonight.  He  has^told  me  how  earnestly  he  finds 
him  cooperating  with  him  in  the  religious  efforts  that  are  being 
made  here,  for  the  benefit  of  the  city  of  Scranton;  and  I  am  sure 
that  no  such  great  blessing  could  have  attended  his  work  if  it  had 
not  been  along  generous  and  loving  purposes — of  not  only  doing 
his  work  well,  but  for  the  highest  benefit  of  his  fellow  man. 

This  is  my  message — simply  a  word  of  loving  and  fraternal 
congratulation — that  in  God's  providence  he  has  been  spared  to 
see  such  enormous  fruitage  to  the  work  he  has  so  faithfully  done. 
(Applause.) 


153 


"GOOD  NIGHT' 

THOMAS  ].  FOSTER 

President  of  the  International  Textbook  Company,  Scranton,  Pa. 
MR.  TOASTMASTER  AND  GENTLEMEN! 

It  is  now  about  half  past  one  o'clock — high  time  we  were  all 
in  bed.  The  only  "nightcap"  I  can  find  my  conscience  will  permit 
me  to  give  you,  will  be  to  thank  you  sincerely  for  all  you  have 
said  to  us  today. 

I  cannot  let  you  leave,  however,  without  making  a  few  remarks 
that  I  feel  to  be  necessary  in  closing  these  exercises.  It  will 
take  only  a  minute  or  two. 

In  answering  your  generous  call  and  in  returning  thanks  for 
the  many  kind  expressions  of  appreciation  and  approval  of  the 
work  being  done  through  our  Schools,  I  wish  to  say  to  you,  our 
guests,  many  of  whom  are  engaged  in  kindred  work,  that  we  feel 
highly  honored  by  your  presence. 

Work  Becoming  Appreciated 

When  these  Anniversary  Exercises  were  first  proposed,  it  was 
not  intended  to  invite  any  one  to  take  part  in  them  except  our 
officers,  employes,  and  students.  But  the  suggestion  was  made 
that  this  would  be  an  opportunity  to  explain  our  methods  to  edu- 
cators, to  the  members  of  the  press,  and  to  the  public,  who  might 
be  interested.  It  was  decided,  therefore,  to  invite  as  many  repre- 
sentatives of  these  classes  as  could  be  entertained.  The  suggestion 
was  a  happy  one,  since  from  the  letters  of  many  gentlemen  who 
cannot  attend,  and  from  the  remarks  of  many  of  those  present, 
I  find  that  our  work  is  much  better  understood  and  far  more  highly 
appreciated  than  I  thought.  The  knowledge  that  our  work  is 
coming  to  be  known  and  appreciated  will  encourage  us  to  further 
effort  and  must  result  in  good  both  to  the  Institution  and  to  the 
people  among  whom  we  work. 

In  giving  your  time  to  these  exercises  with  the  view  of  finding 
out  what  this  new  plan  of  teaching  means,  you  have  shown  an 
interest  worthy  of  praise,  in  the  cause  of  education,  and  we  hope 
that  you  will  have  seen  something  which  you  can  take  home  and  use 


154 


to  help  others.  We  wish  also  to  express  the  hope  that  this  may 
not  be  the  last  occasion  when  we  shall  meet.  We  want  you  to 
feel  that  the  latch  string  of  the  I.  C.  S.  is  always  hanging  out 
either  for  you  or  for  any  of  your  friends  whom  you  may  send  to 
examine  our  work. 

Credit  Given  to  Coworkers 

I  should  fail  in  my  duty  if  I  did  not  take  advantage  of  this, 
the  first  opportunity  that  offers,  to  say  that  in  giving  credit  for 
efficiency  and  for  results  to  the  I.  C.  S.  system  of  teaching,  a  large, 
if  not  the  larger  share  belongs  to  my  coworkers.  The  members 
of  the  Board  of  Directors  are  directors  not  only  in  name  but  in 
fact.  An  Executive  Committee  composed  of  four  members  of  the 
Board,  devotes  four  days  each  month  to  the  business.  They  and 
their  friends  are  the  largest  owners  of  the  stock  of  the  Company. 
Because  of  their  faith  in  the  enterprise,  it  has  never  been  short  of 
capital,  and  I  have  had  the  benefit  of  their  counsel  and  support  in 
every  step  in  the  development  of  the  Institution.  Nor  has  their 
purpose  in  investing  their  money  and  giving  their  time  been  for 
gain  alone,  for  they  as  well  as  others  engaged  in  the  work  share  in 
the  stimulation  due  to  witnessing  the  good  being  done. 

To  the  officers  and  members  of  the  textbook,  illustrating,  and 
printing  departments,  of  whose  intelligent  and  faithful  labor  the 
textbooks,  which  are  the  basis  of  the  I.  C.  S.  system,  are  convincing 
evidence,  credit  is  due;  also  to  the  principals  and  instructors  whose 
patient,  painstaking,  and  efficient  work  with  the  students,  has 
made  the  reputation  of  the  Schools. 

To  the  officers  of  the  accounting  and  executive  departments, 
and  to  their  assistants,  I  am  indebted  for  loyal,  enthusiastic  and 
skilful  service. 

Great  credit  is  due  also  to  the  thousands  of  students  who  are 
helping  to  secure  new  students  by  their  testimony  to  the  efficiency 
and  merit  of  the  educational  service  rendered.  Some  of  these 
students,  representing  all  sections  of  the  United  States  and  Canada, 
are  present  with  us  tonight. 

Creators  of  Character 

To  the  officers  and  members  of  the  selling  organizations,  field, 
railway  and  mail,  a  large  share  of  the  credit  must  be  awarded. 
No  salesmen  work  more  hours  daily  than  I.  C.  S.  Representatives. 
Because  they  sell  to  working  people  who  are  engaged  in  the  day- 
time, most  of  their  work  must  be  done  at  night.  Their  work  is 


155 


such  that  they  must  be  absorbed  in  it  to  be  successful.  However, 
the  men  who  make  these  sacrifices  are  successful;  they  find  the 
business  very  attractive,  and  few  of  them  give  it  up.  They  feel 
the  stimulation,  which  is  the  reward  of  work,  helpful  to  others, 
more  strongly,  perhaps,  than  those  of  us  whose  duties  are  confined 
to  the  home  departments.  In  making  brain  workers  of  those  whose 
training  is  limited  to  their  hands,  they  are  encouraged  by  seeing 
about  them  everywhere  men  who  have  gained  a  footing  above  the 
level  of  mediocrity,  in  which  the  great  mass  of  working  people 
are  engulfed.  These  creators  of  character,  whose  daily  business 
it  is  to  induce  men  to  forego  idle  pleasure  and  cultivate  habits  of 
self-denial  and  study,  secure  the  thousands  of  students  that  go  to 
make  the  work  of  the  Schools  great  when  compared  with  ordinary 
educational  standards.  They  not  only  merit  a  large  share  of  the 
credit  of  making  the  institution  what  it  is,  but  they  are  also  held 
in  grateful  remembrance  by  the  thousands  and  thousands  of  men 
whom  they  have  helped  to  advancement  and  promotion,  and  to 
better  lives. 

In  conclusion,  I  wish  to  say  that,  as  in  all  other  efforts  for  the 
improvement  of  the  means  of  living,  and  the  elevation  of  mankind, 
this  work  has  just  commenced.  I  am  confident  that  within  the 
next  ten  years  we  shall  so  improve  our  home-study  textbooks  and 
our  system  of  assisting  students  by  correspondence,  and  shall  so 
increase  the  efficiency  of  the  methods  to  secure  their  use  by  the 
public  that  the  results  now  being  accomplished  will  appear  incon- 
siderable in  comparison  with  those  that  we  shall  then  be  obtaining. 


156 

698£G— 21710  11-15-06-12500 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

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Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


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